Hawks confirm device found at Verulam mosque is a bomb

The Hawks have confirmed the device found inside the Imam Hussain Mosque near Verulam, Durban, on Sunday, which forced several nearby residences to be evacuated, is a bomb.

KwaZulu-Natal Hawks spokesperson Simphiwe Mhlongo said the device was confirmed to be a bomb in a meeting they held on Monday morning. Speaking to the media, he said the bomb was explosive.

According to security company Reaction Unit South Africa (Rusa).

“The device connected to a Nokia mobile phone was found under the moulana’s chair. It was moved by a worshiper,” said Rusa head Prem Balram, who posted the information on the company’s WhatsApp media group and Facebook pages at 7.15pm on Sunday.

Balram said Rusa officers were waiting for the bomb disposal unit and sniffer dogs. The Shia mosque is based in Ottawa, a small suburb about 30 kilometres north of Durban and a few kilometres from Verulam.

On Thursday, the mosque made national and international headlines after three men dressed in traditional attire and armed with knives gained entry under the the pretext of praying.

They proceeded to stab moulana Ali Nchinyane and Muhammad Ali.

Abbas Essop, who worked close to the mosque, rushed to the scene to offer assistance. His throat was slit, and he later died in hospital.

Nchinyane was discharged from hospital, but Ali is still being hospitalised. Several rooms in the building, including the library, were set alight after a petrol bomb was hurled into the mosque. The suspects then fled in a vehicle. No arrests have been made.

Mhlongo told the African News Agency (ANA) on Sunday night he was unaware of the latest incident when he was phoned a few minutes after Balram posted the information.