More than 40 suspected gas attackers killed in Zambia in wave of mob justice

Lusaka [Zambia], Feb 23 (Sputnik/ANI): Zambian Police said on Saturday that 43 people had been killed and another 23 injured in a wave of lynch mob attacks against those suspected of being involved in toxic attacks on households.
Protests first began in the northern province of Copperbelt last month and have so far spanned several provinces of Zambia. Earlier, the US Embassy in Zambia warned its citizens that rumors of ritual killings and gas attacks on apartment buildings have led to civil unrest and acts of mob justice in many provinces across the country. Subsequently, the media reported that the Zambian authorities had decided to deploy army patrols to combat the attackers who sprayed gas, making their victims feel dizzy.
"As a result of mob justice emanating from a false alarm, a total number of 43 people have died across the country while 23 were injured," Zambia Police Service Inspector General Kakoma Kanganja said in a statement published by the Mwebantu news portal.
Till date, 511 messages have been received regarding the spraying of poisonous substances in households, with 1,687 people injured, he said, adding that 11 police infrastructure facilities and several cars were damaged throughout the country as a result of the unrest.
The police already detained 16 suspects in connection with spraying incidents. Some of the detainees were involved in criminal activity committed in the Chingola area in the province of Copperbelt, as well as in the North-Western Province.
According to the police, rioters attacked police stations in parts of the country where suspects were detained. As a result of the operation, which the police conducted on February 20, five organizers of lynching were detained. They are suspected of instigating people to kill suspected attackers. (Sputnik/ANI)