EASTERN CAPE. — A bomb threat on a commercial aircraft at King Phalo Airport was confirmed as a false alarm on Wednesday 21 October, after a thorough search yielded no explosives or suspicious items. All passengers, pilots and cabin crew disembarked safely from the aircraft while security services investigated the incident.
Brig. Gen. Nobuntu Gantana, police spokesperson, said the police's explosives unit in the Eastern Cape was called in after a call from an unknown number was received at the passenger information desk claiming there was a bomb on the aircraft. A joint security response was activated, involving explosives experts, dog units, airport security, a hostage negotiator, the fire department and emergency services. The aircraft and baggage were systematically searched, but no explosives, explosive devices, suspicious items or dangerous materials were found. The scene was declared safe and handed back to airport security.
A case under the explosives act was registered. The investigation is continuing to trace the person who made the call. Police warn that a false bomb threat is a serious crime that could result in a potential prison sentence of up to ten years.
This article is an automatic English translation of a Nuusflits article originally published in Afrikaans. Read the Afrikaans original.
