Sunday Tribune

Police net closes in on city bomber

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POLICE are swooping in on the person behind Friday’s bomb attack on a Durban family which left three people seriously injured, including a 22-year-old who is in a coma fighting for his life.

“We have been working around the clock and have several strong leads, including fingerprin­ts and CCTV footage.

“The attack on the family was well-orchestrat­ed by a profession­al bomber who knew what he was doing,” a source close to the investigat­ion said.

“From what we know, this was a target hit, in an act of revenge for a business deal gone wrong. But we are closing in on him (the culprit) and expect to make an arrest within a week.

“This shocked us all. It’s the first such incident we’ve dealt with. The last bomb attack in Durban took place in 1988 during apartheid.”

Durban businessma­n Saleem Khan, 47, who was allegedly the target of the attack, escaped as he was not home at the time. He said his family was devastated.

“I arrived home to find my family in blood.

“My son Zakaria was covered in torn flesh and blood. He could not even speak, the image will haunt me for ever. I just remember putting him, my mother and daughter-inlaw in the car and driving them to Parklands. I couldn’t even focus, but the staff there were excellent. They didn’t ask for payment or any paperwork, they immediatel­y started working on my family.

“We don’t deserve this to happen to us. We are a hard-working family and don’t have any enemies. My son and I run an insurance company and have never had any deals going pear-shaped. We are living in hard economic times but have never done anything to cause harm to others. All I can think of is that this might be profession­al jealousy. This is shocking and very traumatic.

“It’s very hard to see my family go through this. My 22-year-old son is now brain damaged and in an induced coma after undergoing a brain operation on Friday night. He also has serious facial injuries.

“My elderly mother and daughter-in law-are also struggling with serious shrapnel injuries to their legs and face.”

“We will not rest until those behind this are brought to book and will take it to the highest court to ensure justice is done. Nobody must have to go through what we are going through.

“How can someone deliver a bomb to a home, masked as a flower delivery? The courier company must also be held responsibl­e,” said a distraught Khan, who added this was the second attack on the family.

Two family cars were torched early one morning in their garage while the family was asleep.

Police are still investigat­ing that incident with no arrests to date.

Friday’s bomb was concealed in a package with a bunch of flowers and a “get well card” which was delivered to the family home in Durban just after Friday’s Muslim noon prayers and exploded as the son opened the card. A second, unopened bomb, also delivered to the family, was later detonated by police in a controlled explosion.

Deputy Mayor Fawzia Peer, who visited the family in hospital yesterday, called the incident “pure evil”. “This is the kind of thing you read about in other countries, not South Africa and especially not in Durban. It is frightenin­g because it could potentiall­y set a precedent for others to adopt the same method as an act of vengeance. I fear for politician­s and every citizen, it seems nobody is safe until the person behind this is caught,” she said.

“This was not the work of amateurs, these were profession­als behind this bomb and that is what scares me. We have a bomber on the loose in Durban who has targeted innocent family members. I am confident that our police will do everything to get to the bomber before he or she claims any more victims.” National Hawks spokesman Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi confirmed that the case has been referred to his unit.

“There is good progress in the case, however, we cannot divulge any informatio­n at this stage. A case of attempted murder and contravent­ion of the Explosives Act is being investigat­ed,” he said.

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