Explosive device found at SAfrican mosque

A device removed from a mosque in South Africa where worshippers were attacked last week has been found to be an explosive.

A device discovered in a mosque near the South African port city of Durban where worshippers were attacked by armed men last week has been confirmed as explosive.

The device was discovered on Sunday three days after the attack at the mosque by three men armed with guns and knives. One person was killed after his throat was slit, and two others were injured.

"We had a meeting with the explosive unit members who briefed us on the device they had taken away yesterday. They confirmed that its mechanism is explosive," Simphiwe Mhlongo, a spokesman for the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation told eNCA television on Monday.

"But at this stage they haven't gone through analysing what chemicals it is made of."

Mhlongo said investigations were continuing.

South Africa is racked by violent crime and social strife rooted in poverty and glaring income disparities, but it is seldom associated with the Islamist militancy seen on other parts of the continent.


Share
1 min read

Published

Source: AAP

Tags

Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world