On Saturday afternoon, OR Tambo International Airport was the scene of an unscripted action movie. Except, in this narrative, the SAPS officers were the executors in the shooting that took place.
OR Tambo International Airport shooting: As it happened
The world spent Mandela Day commemorating the memory of a South African giant. While the rest of us were dedicating time towards acts of change, honouring the wishes of our founding father of democracy, these nine suspects had more sinister plans in mind.
As reported by EWN, at least nine suspects were involved in a violent confrontation with SAPS officers at the cargo area of the OR Tambo International Airport, on Saturday.
The details surrounding the incident are unknown, at this stage. Therefore, we cannot confirm the actual number of suspects who were involved in the armed robbery attempt.
We also don’t know what it is these suspects were after and police have remained mum about the evidence that was recovered from the crime scene.
This is what we can confirm
We can confirm, though, with a mountain of empirical evidence, that the situation was intense at OR Tambo International Airport.
We know from statements made by emergency services officials that at least two suspects were killed in the OR Tambo shooting.
It’s also been confirmed that seven other suspects were wounded in the violent confrontation and are currently arrested in hospital beds, receiving medical treatment.
We managed to source two videos that display the terror that gripped one of South Africa’s most prominent transport hubs. You can watch the videos below:
SAPS officials have yet to issue a statement on the events that transpired at OR Tambo International. From what we know thus far, no police officer was injured in the foiled heist.