South African church attack: Five dead after 'hostage situation'
Posted 4 years ago
by shakiez893
Five
people have been killed after attackers stormed a South African church,
reportedly amid an argument over its leadership.
South African police said they had rescued men,
women and children from a "hostage situation" on the outskirts of
Johannesburg on Saturday morning.
They have also arrested at least 40 people, and
seized dozens of weapons.
Eyewitnesses say the men who stormed the
International Pentecostal Holiness Church were part of a splinter group.
The
church's leadership has reportedly been the subject of infighting since its
former leader died in 2016. Police had previously been called to the church
following a shoot out between
members in 2018, South Africa's IOL reports.
The
year before, the church's finances had come under the spotlight, amid allegations some 110m
rand ($6.5m; £5.2m) had gone missing, according to The Sowetan newspaper.
On Saturday, police were called to the church in
Zuurbekom in the West Rand at 03:00 local time (01:00 GMT).
According to
national police spokesperson Brigadier Vish Naidoo, a group of attackers
indicated to those inside "that they were coming to take over the
premises".
He said four people had been found shot and burnt to
death in cars, while a security guard, who was thought to have been responding
to the incident, was also fatally shot.
Five rifles, 16 shotguns and 13 pistols, along with other weapons, were found at the church, which police have been combing for evidence.
The South African
Police Service (SAPS) said that among those arrested were members of SAPS, the
South African National Defence Force, the Johannesburg Metro Police Department
and the Department of Correctional Services.
The International Pentecostal Holiness Church is
thought to have about three million members in Southern Africa
While the
International Pentecostal Holiness Church, one of the largest churches in that
region, has made tabloid headlines over missing money and its leadership
squabbles in the last few years, what happened on Saturday took many by
surprise - including authorities.
Now police say they have launched a high-level
investigation looking into the exact circumstances around the shooting - not
least, who ordered the attack.
Part of the investigation is trying to ascertain
whether the four people who were killed and burnt inside a car were part of the
group who had earlier stormed into the church.
"We've arrested all those we reasonably
believed are suspects. They have been taking in for questioning," said
police spokesperson Vish Naidoo.
As night falls, police officers have been deployed
to monitor the safety of hundreds of congregants living on the church premises
who are said to be fearful of another attack.