Africa-Press – Mozambique. The Police of the Republic of Mozambique have arrested a gang of five individuals accused of pretending to belong to insurgent groups in order to carry out robberies in several villages in the district of Metuge, in Cabo Delgado province.
The suspects, armed with sharp objects and with their faces covered, recently invaded the village of Impire, located near National Road Number 1 (EN1). During the incursion, the individuals shouted slogans such as “Allahu Akbar”, which caused residents to flee immediately. Amid the resulting disorder, the young men, aged between 20 and 21, stole cash, mobile phones and various goods from the abandoned homes.
In an interview with Miramar, the police stated that those arrested denied any links to extremist groups. They claimed that the use of masks and the staging of a terrorist attack were solely intended to conceal their identities and facilitate the robberies.
The police authorities confirmed to Miramar’s reporting team that, to date, there is no evidence linking the detainees to operational terrorist networks in the region. However, due to the nature of the staged attacks, the case has been referred to specialised units of the Defence and Security Forces for further investigation.
Eugénia Nhamussua, spokesperson for the Police of the Republic of Mozambique in Cabo Delgado, said that the group already has a history of several previous arrests by police sub-units, both in the city of Pemba and in the district of Metuge, for various types of crime.
