A device discovered in a mosque where worshippers were attacked by armed men on May 10 has been confirmed as explosive, police said on Monday.
Police said 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 on Sunday near the South African port city of Durban.
“They confirmed that its mechanism is explosive,” Simphiwe Mhlongo, a spokesman for the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation told eNCA television.
“But at this stage they haven’t gone through analysing what chemicals it is made of.”
Mr 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.
On May 10, an imam was killed by armed men who, stormed a mosque near Durban in South Africa, slitting the throats of two worshippers and the holy man before fleeing.
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The group arrived with guns and knives, an emergency service official said this afternoon. The three attackers escaped in a Hyundai car on the outskirts of the eastern port city.
The attack on the mosques in Verulam, KwaZulu-Natal occurred at 14.39 p.m.
Police said the men entered the large mosque after midday prayers and stabbed three people.
“They further set certain rooms alight and fled in their getaway vehicle,’ police spokeswoman Nqobile Gwala said in a statement.
“The motive of the attack on the three men is unknown at this stage. Verulam police are investigating three counts of attempted murder and arson.’
Paul Herbst, spokesman for the private IPSS medical rescue service, told AFP that the imam ‘who had his throat slit, passed away a few minutes ago due to his injuries.’
“There were three people in the mosque – a caretaker, a worshipper and the imam and they were held up by three armed men,’ Herbst said after visiting the scene.
Reuters/NAN
