Ethiopia: official denies device uncovered at airport was an “explosive”

By Tesfa-Alem Tekle

August 22, 2013 (ADDIS ABABA) – A senior government official said on Thursday that a device found at Addis Ababa’s international airport was not an explosive, as was recently was reported by Sudan Tribune and other media outlets.

“The device was not an explosive or type of bomb but just a flammable cylinder gas”, communication minister Shimels Kemal told Sudan Tribune, adding that a counter-terrorism team had been established to deal with the incident.

Kemal said the situation is under investigation and no suspect has yet been arrested.

Airport authorities today similarly confirmed that the devices found were gas cylinders.

The two gas cylinders, which could potentially explode if they caught on fire, were first found by airport janitors.

The two devices were found around the departure terminal of the country’s largest airport.

Airport officials said details of the incident will be announced once the investigation is complete, declining to provide further comment on the matter.

The investigation team is yet to determine if the devices were deliberately deposited at the airport in order to commit a terrorist attack.

Addis Ababa Bole International Airport is one of the continent’s busiest airports, with a current traffic movement of nearly 2 million passengers per year, according to Ethiopian Airports Enterprise (EAE).

EAE has finalised an expansion and upgrade project at the airport which would enable it to park more passenger jets at a time.

The airport has been serving to the East African nation as an international gate way for over 40 years.

(ST)