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Written by ISSAfrica -
The use of terrorist tactics by criminals highlights the urgency of dealing with smuggled explosives.
On 30 January, armed robbers in Cape Town hijacked two members of a maintenance team loading automated teller machines (ATMs). They strapped a makeshift explosive device to one of the victims and forced him to open various ATMs in order to steal the cash. The victim was later released next to a highway.
The device comprised blasting cartridges similar to those smuggled across South Africaâs borders by organised crime syndicates. Members of the South African Police Serviceâs (SAPS) Cape Town Explosives Section, specialising in hazardous device incidents, defused the device and freed the victim, unharmed.