Tanzania to check scrap metal imports

Tanzania will screen scrap metal imports at land border points after the country has found more than 100 hand grenades in scrap metal mills in the capital city of Dar es Salaam.

The stick and offensive hand grenades were suspected to have been imported into the country, according to police sources.

Local press on Friday quoted Tanzanian Inspector General of Police Said Mwema as saying that plans were underway to install devices capable of detecting arms concealed in scrap metal cargoes being imported into the country.

The police chief said that preliminary investigation had revealed that the hand grenades had been imported from neighboring countries that had been in civil conflicts.

Mwema said that Tanzanian police along with mine experts from the Tanzania People's Defense Forces are inspecting steel mills and scrap metal mills in Dar es Salaam and elsewhere to try to detect more hand grenades and other explosive devices.

He said that three people had so far been interrogated by the police in connection with the finding of the grenades.

The police acted on a tip which came after a hand grenade had exploded to kill one worker while injuring five others in a Dar es Salaam scrap metal mill.

Source: Xinhua