A national police forensic task team and crime intelligence experts have been deployed to investigate explosions at Woolworths stores in the Free State and Gauteng.

Acting national police commissioner Lieutenant General Puleng Dimpane ordered the deployment, with investigations at an early stage. Investigators are exploring all possible motives behind the incidents.

Forensics specialists were busy all day at the store0 in Preller Square in Bloemfontein on Friday (29 May) with the store cordoned off by authorities.

ALSO READ: Woolworths ramps up security nationwide after two store bombings in 24 hours.

Police say it would be premature to classify the incidents as acts of terrorism at this stage.

In a statement, police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe said officers remain alert and will continue to assess the situation as investigations unfold.

Additional security measures, including monitoring around affected or related premises, will be informed by ongoing investigations and threat assessments.

The first blast occurred in the early hours of Thursday (28 May) aroudn 01:00 at the Woolworths Menlyn Park store in Pretoria. A second device was detonated the following morning (Friday 29 May), around the same time at the Preller Square branch in Bloemfontein.

As a precautionary measure, Woolworths has increased security vigilance across all its stores nationwide. The company has also contracted specialist forensic experts to strengthen security and intelligence operations in support of the authorities’ investigation.