An off-duty Port Elizabeth policeman, who allegedly blackened his face, has been arrested for threatening to detonate an explosive device in a branch of Absa Bank.
Police spokesperson, Captain Sandra Janse Van Rensburg, said the 38-year-old man entered the bank in Greenacres Shopping Centre and allegedly indicated to the bank personnel that he will activate an explosive device if his demands were not met.
Police did not reveal what his demands were.
Janse Van Rensburg said members of the K-9 and bomb units rushed to the Centre where they evacuated the bank.
She said after combing the premises they found the suspect inside but he had no explosives in his possession.
Janse Van Rensburg said he was arrested and charged for making a false bomb threat and will appear in court on Monday.
The SA Police Service also confirmed that the suspect was an off duty Sergeant who had been "receiving assistance and counseling from the Police's Employee Health and Wellness Section" before Friday's incident.
