Johannesburg, Oct 16 (IANS): The National Commissioner of the South African Police Service (SAPS) Fannie Masemola said Wednesday that four suspects responsible for a mass shooting in the Eastern Cape Province late last month have been arrested.

The mass shooting, which left 18 people dead, happened on September 28 in the town of Lusikisiki. On Tuesday night, the SAPS published the pictures and names of the suspects, alleging that they were linked to the incident.

In a statement issued by the police Wednesday morning, Masemola said that in less than 24 hours from the time the SAPS issued an alert on the wanted suspects, communities rallied together and informed the police of their whereabouts, Xinhua news agency reported.

"All four suspects are now in police custody," he said. "This is what the SAPS can achieve when the whole country rallies behind our men and women in blue."

The police said they would not disclose where the suspects were found and arrested at this stage so that it would not jeopardize their investigations. Crime experts have said that they suspect a family feud led to the mass shooting.