The attackers opened fire on the 14-seater vehicle after it ran over the explosive about eight kilometres (five miles) from Mandera town on the Kenya-Somali frontier.
Court rules Thulsie Twins should stay behind bars, did pose terrorist threat
The two brothers arrested by the Hawks as part of an anti-terrorism operation will remain behind bars for now, following a ruling that they did pose a threat to South Africa’s safety and security.
The attackers opened fire on the 14-seater vehicle after it ran over the explosive about eight kilometres (five miles) from Mandera town on the Kenya-Somali frontier.
Despite their families’ best efforts at proving their innocence, the Hawks maintain that the twins — who reportedly sympathise with ISIS and were prevented from leaving SA to travel to Turkey, the most popular route to ISIS-controlled territory — did plan on carrying out attacks against Jewish and US assets in South Africa.
Brandon Lee and Tony Lee Thulsie were arrested by the Hawks last month on suspicion that they were planning to carry out attacks on South African soil in the name of the Islamic State, but the 23 year-old twins challenged the ruling.
The Johannesburg Magistrates Court, however, upheld their arrest and ruled that they did pose a threat. When the Hawks arrested the twins, they found manuals on how to build bombs, and following a check on their social media activity the Hawks revealed that both twins do in fact support the Islamic State.
Their lawyer, Anneline van den Heever, will appeal the ruling, but they will remain in custody until then.
