Mozambique: Police arrests Portuguese and Zimbabwean for possession of weapons and ammunition – reports

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Mozambique: Police arrests Portuguese and Zimbabwean for possession of weapons and ammunition – reports

3:37 CAT | 02 Jun 2023

Image: Social Media

The Police of the Republic of Mozambique yesterday announced the arrest of two men, a Portuguese and a Zimbabwean, for possession of 32 weapons, plus ammunition, found hidden in their residence in Chimoio, Manica province, central Mozambique, a source from the corporation told Lusa.

Manica police spokesman Mateus Mindu said that the police seized ten pistols, nine shotguns, three assault rifles, more than 200 rounds of ammunition (including for AKM machine guns), bayonets, ten gas pressure pistols, 53 two-way radios and bulletproof vests.

The material was seized from a rented house in an upper-middle class neighbourhood of the city of Chimoio, where the two detainees lived.
Police continue to investigate the origin and destination of the arms and ammunition, Mindu added.

“The material was seized and is in the possession of the police, as it is undocumented and has entered the country illegally,” Mindu explained, stressing that the weaponry appears to be new and unused.

The police are also investigating whether the material was likely to have been destined for the armed insurgents active since 2017 in Cabo Delgado province, northern Mozambique.

‘Carta de Moçambique’ reports that the two detainees, paraded before the press, refused to comment on the case, but has established that the Portuguese national detained manages a restaurant located next to a fashionable hotel in the city, while the Zimbabwean is the general manager of a company linked to the processing and sale of beef.

‘Carta’ adds that it has learned that the Portuguese citizen is also a partner in a security company based in Chimoio, which provides services only for itself, with a small number of staff.