In a significant security operation, Sierra Leone’s security forces arrested seven individuals suspected of involvement in a bomb plot.
A government statement on Saturday detailed that TNT explosives, drugs, and other bomb-making materials were seized during the operation.
The joint operation, conducted by the intelligence service, army, and police on July 7, targeted several locations in the western region of the country after months of surveillance.
The authorities confiscated various bomb-making components, including empty 12.5-kilogram gas canisters, TNT explosives, detonators, firing devices, timers, and items disguised as detergents and powdered soap.
The Information Ministry stated, “Intelligence officials in Sierra Leone uncovered a plot involving individuals suspected of importing bomb-making materials.”
The arrested individuals, identified as Hussein Antar, Jamal Antar, Ibrahima Bashiru Kamara, Samuel Marah, Abdul Aziz Kamara, Alieu Kamara, and Ackmed Bangura, are now in custody.
A search of Hussein Antar’s home on Tuesday led to the discovery of 7,847,100 captagon pills, valued at approximately $94 million, concealed in bedroom refrigerators and air conditioners. These pills are known to be a dangerous and addictive amphetamine-type stimulant.