State seeks assistance from foreign agencies in the case against terror-accused twins
JOBURG – The State has asked for a postponement in the case against the Thulsie twins.
The State is still busy with investigations in the case against terror-accused twins, Brandon-Lee and Tony-Lee Thulsie and has subsequently asked for a postponement in the matter.
On 29 May, State prosecutor Advocate Adele Barnard told the Johannesburg Magistrates’ Court, that they are still seeking legal assistance from foreign agencies.
Barnard said the State was awaiting the outcome of the applications that have been made with foreign agencies, which among others, include the USA and France.
Barnard said the State was also trying to obtain pictures of the accused, from the border. The State alleges that in August 2015, the accused attempted to leave the country through the Ficksburg border post in the Free State‚ using fraudulent Lesotho passports.
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Defence attorney, Ashraf Parak seemed upset by the State’s request. He told the court that the State’s request for mutual legal assistance had gone on for too long. He added that the State has not given an indication when this will be finalised.
“The court granted a lengthy postponement of three months and now the State wants a further two months. This is a never-ending saga. There is no detailed information on when or who was contacted or what are the challenges,” Parak said. He added that the accused twins have been in custody since their arrest in July last year.
Magistrate Simon Radasi postponed the matter to 5 July and said the State appeared to have some loose ends to tie up.
The provisional indictment document that was handed in at court last month, contains 12 charges against the 23-year-old twins who were arrested by the Hawks in July last year on suspicion that they have been plotting terrorist attacks against a United States mission in Johannesburg as well as Jewish cultural sites.
The provisional indictment revealed that the pair were going to execute acts of terrorism by using firearms, explosives and possibly poison.
According to the document, the purpose of the planned terrorist attacks was to intimidate the governments of the United States of America, the United Kingdom, France, the Russian Federation and the South African Government as well as the Jewish, Shia Muslim and other foreign communities in South Africa.
The indictment stated that the attacks were also planned to cause terror, fear or panic in the civilian population of South Africa and in particular the sections of the civilian population targeted.
