Latest news with #hijack
News24
18-07-2025
- News24
Suspected syndicate behind attacks on workers, says Eastern Cape transport department
Following a series of attacks on contractors fixing roads, the Eastern Cape Department of Transport suspects that a syndicate is targeting workers and taking their equipment. 'There seems to be a syndicate targeting the department's yellow fleet used by our in-house teams to maintain and repair mainly rural roads,' spokesperson Unathi Binqose said. He added that the attacks were 'making it difficult for the Eastern Cape Department of Transport to execute its mandate'. 'The most recent of these attacks occurred on the R61, where our team of road workers had to run for their lives as gunshots were fired at the crane truck they were travelling in. The team was driving to Komani after attending to some potholes on the R408 between Engcobo and Dutywa.' The team was forced to abandon the truck, which was damaged when a bullet hit one of its engine components, and flee to a nearby village. READ | Approximately 15 people murdered every day in Eastern Cape in 2024, crime statistics show The vehicle was later towed to the Cofimvaba police station. 'This is the third attempted hijack of the yellow fleet in just over a month,' he added. Earlier this week, a tipper truck was stolen. It was later recovered in Elliotdale in the Amathole district. News24 previously reported that a group of armed men robbed provincial transport department construction workers last month. The workers had been sent to repair a flood-damaged road in Cala in the Chris Hani district of the Eastern Cape. Transport MEC Xolile Nqatha said a bakkie driven by a group of armed balaclava-clad men approached the workers while they were working at a quarry. The men tied them up, demanded keys to their bakkie, and removed several tyres from their tipper truck. They loaded them onto the stolen bakkie, and both bakkies sped off, leaving the crew stranded but unharmed, Nqatha added. The incident occurred days after Gift of the Givers Foundation aid workers were intimidated while providing essential aid to flood victims in Mthatha. According to the OR Tambo District Municipality, the workers were threatened by people who demanded that they stop supporting hundreds of residents displaced by recent flooding in the province.
ABC News
15-07-2025
- ABC News
Neurological assessment for teen accused of plane hijack attempt at Avalon Aiport
A teen accused of trying to hijack a commercial flight is undergoing brain scans to determine whether he has a neurological condition, a court has been told. The 17-year-old boy is still in custody after he was tackled to the ground and arrested during the March 6 incident at Victoria's second-largest airport. Police allege he climbed through a hole in a fence at Avalon Airport, near Geelong, before making his way on foot to the aircraft about 2:20pm. About 160 passengers were on board the Jetstar plane, which was due to fly to Sydney. The teen, who cannot be named for legal reasons, appeared via video link at a children's court hearing on Tuesday, when his lawyer sought a further adjournment. The lawyer told the court the boy had undergone scans of his brain at a regional hospital and was due to have further scans in late August. Doctors were assessing whether he had an "organic or physiological neurological condition", the lawyer said. The boy was also being psychologically assessed later this week, although the psychiatrist had flagged he would not provide a report until the scans were completed, the lawyer said. The magistrate allowed the case to be adjourned to October so the medical material could be obtained. Prosecutors also successfully applied to withdraw four charges, including allegations the boy stole two 12-gauge shotguns and possessed a long-arm firearm without a licence. The teen is still facing charges including boarding a commercial aircraft while in possession of a firearm and making threats that he had a bomb in his bag. During a March hearing, it was revealed a joint counterterrorism taskforce was investigating the Avalon Airport incident and the boy may have communicated with a foreigner or foreign entity. Federal police successfully obtained a suppression on the identity of the foreigners, as well as the nature or content of the boy's communications. The nature or contents of documents allegedly found in the accused's vehicle have also been suppressed. The magistrate on Tuesday extended those suppressions to the next court date, in October. AAP
Al Arabiya
21-05-2025
- Business
- Al Arabiya
Hijack call from ship off Iran a false alarm: Security firm Ambrey
A hijack signal sent from a Panama-flagged petroleum products tanker off Iran was a false alarm, British maritime security firm Ambrey said on Wednesday. Ambrey first reported the incident south of the busy Strait of Hormuz shipping lane on Tuesday without naming the vessel. It said it took place some 51 nautical miles northwest of the Iranian port of Bandar-e Jask. It dubbed the incident a 'false hijack distress call' on Wednesday, adding that it 'understands that the vessel had previously conducted similar actions.' Ambrey said it believed the vessel was part of a 'shadow fleet' of tankers used by Iran, noting a sister ship was on a sanctions list issued by the US Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). With Reuters
