A BOMB scare at Victoria Falls International Airport has forced President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s Falcon 7X aircraft to be turned back to Harare.
Mnangagwa was expected to attend the closing ceremony of a conference being held in the resort town.
In a statement presidential spokesperson George Charamba said airport authorities had been made aware of an email sent through Fastjet Airlines by an unknown individual that there had been “credible bomb/firearm threat” targeting Zimbabwean airports.
Charamba added “As a precaution, the country’s security systems are now on heightened alert following this message who source and credibility is also being investigated.
“While our country is peaceful, and all our ports are well secured, such alerts on possible terrorist attacks are taken and treated very seriously, as nothing should be left to chance”.
In an earlier report, online publication ZimLive had reported that “Aircraft failing to land at Victoria Falls. Kenyan Airways flight from Nairobi forced to hold for several minutes before diverting to Livingstone. President Mnangagwa’s Falcon 7X returning to Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport. He is due to attend closing ceremony of renewable energy conference”.
Another Kenyan Airways flight coming from Nairobi was forced to divert to Livingstone, Zambia.
Some passengers had been barred from disembarking as authorities investigated the threat.
Mnangagwa survived a bomb blast at White City Stadium on 23 June 2018 in what was interpreted by Zanu PF as an assassination attempt.
Two security details later succumbed to injuries days later. – NewsZim
