KUGOMPO CITY - Police are hunting for the person responsible for a false bomb threat involving a commercial aircraft at King Phalo Airport in the Eastern Cape on Wednesday.
The South African Police Service (SAPS) confirmed that the threat was a false alarm after a thorough investigation.
The KuGompo Explosives Unit responded after an anonymous caller allegedly contacted the airport’s passenger information desk, claiming that a bomb had been placed on an aircraft.
The call, made from an unknown number, prompted airport officials to alert police.
Following a briefing by airport security, Bomb Disposal Unit members activated a multidisciplinary response.
As a precaution, all passengers, pilots and cabin crew safely disembarked while security personnel searched the aircraft and luggage.
No explosives, explosive devices, suspicious objects or hazardous materials were found. The scene was declared safe and handed back to airport security.
A criminal case has been opened. The incident has been registered as a contravention of Section 27(1A)(a) of the Explosives Act 26 of 1956.
Police have warned that making a false bomb threat is a serious criminal offence that can carry a prison sentence of up to 10 years.