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Eastern Cape police arrested five men they said were allegedly planning an armed robbery in the Qumbu area on Monday.
Provincial police spokesperson, Captain Khaya Tonjeni, said the men, aged between 23 and 42, were charged with the illegal possession of firearms and conspiracy to commit robbery.
He said police received a tip-off about a white vehicle with five occupants travelling from Qumbu to Mount Frere.
“According to the information all occupants were heavily armed as a result police immediately activated the combat team to assist,” he said.
Tonjeni said the vehicle was spotted in the Qumbu CBD and the suspects tried to evade the police who eventually cornered them and searched the vehicle.
Police found two pistols with live rounds of ammunition, an Uzi sub-machine gun with 16 rounds of ammunition in a bag and other dangerous weapons including an axe and a large knife.
They were due to appear in court on Tuesday facing additional charges of the possession of dangerous weapons and the possession of a suspected stolen car.
