Hawks, Explosives Unit to give clarity on Verulam Mosque 'bomb'
The Hawks in KZN will meet with the Explosives Unit today after a device believed to be a bomb was removed from a Verulam mosque last night.
Residents had to be evacuated last night after the device was found inside the Imam Hussain Mosque.
"They are going to brief us on what it is - is it an explosive device or is it just something to raise an alarm in the community. At this stage - there are no arrests that have been made," spokesperson, Simphiwe Mhlongo said.
He says experts are also expected to brief them on whether the mosque on Ottawa's Old Main Road if safe enough for the community to be given access to it.
The mosque and nearby homes were evacuated for up to five hours last night while officers secured the scene.
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The device was removed and taken for further analysis. Last night's discovery comes just four days after a knife attack there left one man dead and two others hurt.
Mhlongo says investigators are hard at work.
"We are on high alert since these incidents have come up in that area. We are on full alert - we are working together with other law enforcement officials for a proper follow-up," he said.
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Meanwhile, Police Minister Bheki Cele visited the mosque earlier on Sunday.34-year-old, Abbas Essop was killed and two others were injured in a knife attack at the mosque last week.
The crime fighting unit has previously said that the attack showed "elements of extremism."