On Monday, a South African court found twin brothers guilty of terrorism and sentenced them to jail for plotting an attack on the United States (US) embassy in Pretoria and join the Islamic State, as reported by local media. ayokinews.com reports
Both Tony-Lee and Brandon-Lee Thulsie, 28, were apprehended by authorities in South Africa in July 2016, and have been in detention ever since.
The South African twin brothers pleaded guilty to the charges as part of a plea agreement with the prosecution.
Tony-Lee was sentenced to 11 years in prison by the Johannesburg High Court, while his brother Brandon-Lee got an eight years sentence.
According to media sources, both pleaded guilty to plotting to fly to Syria to join ISIS.
Sources added that Tony-Lee allegedly acknowledged to preparing a terrorist assault in South Africa.
Prosecutors alleged assaults on US, British, Russian, and French ambassadors in Pretoria, as well as Jewish organizations, were planned.
Back in 2017, the US put the two brothers on its terror watch list.
The brothers’ arrests in 2016 were the first in South Africa in connection with alleged Islamic State (IS) membership.
So far, South Africa has escaped the Islamist assaults that have afflicted numerous other African nations, especially its eastern neighbour Mozambique.
Source (Credit): africanews
