SA man arrested for Zimbabwe bomb threat that turned Mnangagwa plane around

By News 24

• Cuan Reed Govender from Durban was arrested and appeared in a court in Harare, Zimbabwe.
• The State will seek to prove he is linked to the bomb threat email sent to Fast Jet on Friday, affecting President Emmerson Mnangagwa, among others. 
• Zimbabwean airports remain on a high-security alert.

HARARE: A man from Durban has been detained in Zimbabwe for alleged links to last week’s bomb threat at Victoria Falls International Airport.

Presidential spokesperson George Charamba said in a statement: “Our security services have traced the so-called John Doe to one Cuan Reed Govender.

“In the interests of ongoing operations, we leave it at that for now. We thank Zimbabweans for remaining calm while operations are under way.”

The 26-year-old Govender was arrested on Sunday at the Robert Mugabe International Airport on his way to South Africa, the government said.

He did not make the flight after scanners at the airport detected five bullets in his luggage.

READ | Bomb threat sees Zimbabwe’s Mnangagwa make mid-air U-turn en route to Victoria Falls

Govender arrived in Zimbabwe on 26 February on a business trip.

He appeared in court on Monday without a lawyer and will appear again on Tuesday before Harare magistrate Sharon Rakafa.

The email threat claimed terrorists at Victoria Falls were preparing to attack air traffic.

Due to the security alert, Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa, aboard his Falcon 7X, made a mid-air U-turn back to Harare.

Tight security

Mnangagwa later travelled to Victoria Falls to address the opening of the 56th UN Economic Commission for Africa.

Security was on high alert at Victoria Falls.

According to a notice from the Airports Company of Zimbabwe, only airport staff and those travelling were allowed to enter the terminal.

The drop-off point to the international terminal was sealed off and a secondary screening process was introduced at the boarding gate.

Only after the search can luggage be shrink-wrapped.

With an increased police and army presence, they also physically checked all luggage that went through the scanner.