UPDATE: OR Tambo airport declared safe by security cluster following evacuation

The OR Tambo International Airport has been declared safe by the security cluster following evacuations from its domestic arrivals sections.

“The airport has been declared safe by the Security Cluster. The airport is operating normally. All domestic arrival flights are currently disembarking. We apologise for the inconvenience caused,” said OR Tambo in a statement on Wednesday evening.

The airport and Airport Company SA had earlier announced that its domestic arrivals was being evacuated “as a precautionary measure”.

“The Airport’s Domestic Arrivals is currently being evacuated. This is a precautionary measure. Further updates will be communicated once the matter has been fully investigated,” said the airport in a statement at the time.

“We do profusely apologise for the inconvenience caused.”

According to EWN, a bomb threat was received at OR Tambo domestic arrivals at 5:30pm on Wednesday.

The explosive unit was then dispatched at the airport to conduct the evacuations and sweep the area.

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Some of the travellers flying arriving at the airport took to social media to voice their frustrations over the delays to disembark.

“Parked on the runway at OR Tambo having just flown in from Cape Town. Not allowed to disembark because apparently there’s a security threat,” tweeted user @ana-tweet.

The airport has now been declared safe.

In a separate incident in early December, 11 suspects were arrested following a joint intelligence-driven operation by the DPCI’s Tactical Operations Management Section (TOMS) with the assistance of Special Task Force, Ekurhuleni District Operational Task Team, K9 Law Enforcement and Bad Boy Security.

This after the team received information of an armed robbery that would be taking place at OR Tambo International Airport’s cargo section.

“The information was operationalised and the team observed as the identified truck with false registration plates and branding,” said police spokesperson Colonel Katlego Mogale at the time.

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“The said suspects were observed as their 8 ton truck entered Swissport. The team tactically contained the truck and 11 suspects who were concealed behind empty cardboard boxes were arrested.”

Three unlicensed firearms, a truck with false registration plates, ammunition and cellphones were seized.