Police said Sunday they have arrested five men in connection with the killing of reggae star Lucky Dube, who was gunned down in an apparent carjacking attempt last Thursday.

Police spokesman Eugene Opperman said the men were arrested Sunday morning and will appear in the Johannesburg magistrates court on Tuesday.

He said police seized two stolen handguns and a car allegedly used during the crime.

Dube, who launched his career with criticism of the apartheid regime, was killed after he dropped two of his teenage sons at his brother's Johannesburg house.

His friends told South African Sunday newspapers they believed it was a targeted assassination.

But Opperman said police were sticking to the initial theory of a botched carjacking.

Carjacking is rife in South Africa, which has gained notoriety for its high rate of violent crime.