Harare- The SAPES Trust Seminar Room, a prominent venue for public dialogue in Harare, was destroyed in a suspected arson attack early Tuesday.

The incident, which commentators believe was deliberate, included the abduction of the security guard on duty.

According to SAPES Trust Director Professor Ibbo Mandaza, the organized assault occurred around 12:40 a.m.

The attackers set the seminar room ablaze, locked the main gate with two padlocks, and then took the guard.

The attack comes just hours before the venue was scheduled to host a national press conference titled “Constitutional Crossroads: Citizens Respond to Zimbabwe’s Constitutional Crisis.”