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| South Africa Charges 4 Suspected of Plotting to Aid ISIS | South Africa Charges 4 Suspected of Plotting to Aid ISIS |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| The South African authorities filed charges against four people on Monday on suspicion of trying to help the Islamic State, including two brothers who tried to fly to Syria over the weekend. | The South African authorities filed charges against four people on Monday on suspicion of trying to help the Islamic State, including two brothers who tried to fly to Syria over the weekend. |
| The suspects — three men and one woman, all in their early 20s — were arrested on Sunday after an inquiry by the country’s Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation. | The suspects — three men and one woman, all in their early 20s — were arrested on Sunday after an inquiry by the country’s Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation. |
| The two brothers who tried to fly to Syria face terrorism-related charges, while the two others face charges of weapons possession. | The two brothers who tried to fly to Syria face terrorism-related charges, while the two others face charges of weapons possession. |
| “We’ve been monitoring the movements of these four, and on Saturday, we were executing search warrants and that’s when we managed to seize some of the stuff that pointed directly to them, hence the decision to arrest them,” Hangwani Mulaudzi, a spokesman for the directorate, was quoted as saying by Bloomberg News. | |
| “We stopped them from flying to Syria, and the airline concerned was also informed and they were refused access,” the German news agency Deutsche Welle quoted Mr. Mulaudzi as saying. “Investigations showed they intended to join terrorist group ISIS.” | “We stopped them from flying to Syria, and the airline concerned was also informed and they were refused access,” the German news agency Deutsche Welle quoted Mr. Mulaudzi as saying. “Investigations showed they intended to join terrorist group ISIS.” |
| Also on Monday, the South African news media reported that a plane flying to Pretoria from Cape Town with 72 passengers and four crew members on board had been hijacked. It appeared to be a false alarm. The airline operating the flight, SA Airlink, acknowledged a “hijack alert” but said it “appears to be an anomaly,” and it confirmed that everyone on board was safe. | |
| South Africa has not been known to be a hub of Islamic State activity. But last month, the United States issued a travel advisory, and the British and Australian governments followed suit. | South Africa has not been known to be a hub of Islamic State activity. But last month, the United States issued a travel advisory, and the British and Australian governments followed suit. |
| The American government “has received information that terrorist groups are planning to carry out near-term attacks against places where U.S. citizens congregate in South Africa, such as upscale shopping areas and malls in Johannesburg and Cape Town,” the State Department said in its travel advisory on June 4. | The American government “has received information that terrorist groups are planning to carry out near-term attacks against places where U.S. citizens congregate in South Africa, such as upscale shopping areas and malls in Johannesburg and Cape Town,” the State Department said in its travel advisory on June 4. |
| The British government warned of a “high threat” from terrorism, advising its citizens: “Attacks could be indiscriminate, including in places visited by foreigners such as shopping areas in Johannesburg and Cape Town.” The Australian government, taking note of the United States advisory, told its citizens: “You are advised to be particularly vigilant in areas frequented by foreigners at this time.” | The British government warned of a “high threat” from terrorism, advising its citizens: “Attacks could be indiscriminate, including in places visited by foreigners such as shopping areas in Johannesburg and Cape Town.” The Australian government, taking note of the United States advisory, told its citizens: “You are advised to be particularly vigilant in areas frequented by foreigners at this time.” |