Car containing guns and explosives found in Mijas

POLICE discovered a gun and explosives in a car dumped in a street in the Riviera del Sol estate in Mijas on Tuesday afternoon (September 1).

An alert local resident was worried by the appearance of the BMW car which was covered in a white powder, apparently from a fire extinguisher, and promptly dialed 112.

Officers of the Mijas Local Police who attended the scene discovered a cache of arms and ammunition in the boot of the car including a Kalashnikov rifle, grenades and a mortar, so immediately arranged for Gedex, the specialist explosives arm of the Guardia Civil, to be called in. Firefighters and two ambulances were also sent whilst local hospitals were put on alert.

Fingerprints were taken from the car in order to try to identify who had been driving it whilst a local building was evacuated and the area taped off for a while to allow for the explosives to be removed and taken to a quarry in Mijas for safe detonation.

It appears that the vehicle had been parked in the area for around one month and there is always danger to the surroundings in the event that explosive material is old and deteriorates. Happily the vigilance of the local resident ensured that there was a positive ending.

Whilst there was initial speculation that the car was part of a terrorist operation, police are now of the opinion that this haul was organised crime related.