Thulsie connection to suspects in IS-linked kidnapping

TALI FEINBERG

The suspect, Fatima Patel – who was arrested with Safydeen Aslam Del Vecchio – was previously detained during the anti-terror raids in Azaadville, Gauteng, back in 2016, which also saw the Thulsie twins apprehended for allegedly planning attacks on Jewish targets and attempting to join the Islamic State (IS). In April last year, evidence in court emerged that the Thulsie brothers’ proposed targets included King David Linksfield School and Jonathan Shapiro, also known as cartoonist Zapiro.

Patel and Del Vecchio face charges of abduction, robbery and theft after they went on a spending spree using credit cards belonging to the abducted couple. They stand accused of contravening the Protection of Constitutional Democracy Against Terrorism and Related Activities Act by hoisting the IS flag and having IS recruitment material in their possession.

This latest situation regarding the Saunders’ abduction reads more like a movie script than reality. It involves an IS flag fluttering in a remote location near the Drakensberg; a stash of jewellery, camping equipment and electronic devices stored at the same location.

The Saunders are believed to have been kidnapped by the terrorist organisation in KwaZulu-Natal last month. The couple moved to Cape Town from the UK in the 1970s and ran an indigenous seeds store. They were searching for rare plants when they disappeared from the town of Vryheid, in the foothills of the Drakensberg mountains, on February 12.

The couple vanished just four days after filming with one of the presenters of BBC Gardeners’ World, Nick Bailey, who tweeted a selfie with the Saunders – the last known photo of them. He wrote: “The amazing Rod and Rachel Saunders of Silver Hill Seeds. These guys know their South African native plants… and vitally, where to find them. They sell an incredible range of seeds online.”

Alain Rzepecky, one of the couple’s customers, wrote to SA Jewish Report from Portugal, stating: “As far as I know, they were in the Drakensberg looking for a rare Gladiolus species, possibly Gladiolus symonsii. They are professionals, known by South African plant growers for decades. Their botany and local flora knowledge is extremely accurate, and a huge amount of South African succulent and xerophilous species have been introduced to cultivation, thanks to their never-ending quest for rare species.”

In 2016, the couple had written this in their newsletter: “We have spent the last two Christmases in the Drakensberg looking for Gladiolus symonsii – a very rare high-altitude species only ever seen by a handful of people… We did not find it despite a systematic three-day search for it in known and preferred habitats.”

Another customer, David Feix, posted this on Facebook: “It will be very sad if it turns out Rod and Rachel have been murdered. They were both such kind and important people, helping to popularise South African plants around the world through their botanising, collecting and seed supply business. I feel blessed to have met them personally back in 2002.”

A third customer, Jimmy Turner, wrote: “This couple were amazing plant geeks and so passionate about the plants of South Africa. Have many a wonderful plant we have purchased from them.”

The couple’s blood-spattered Toyota Land Cruiser has been found and fears are growing that they have been murdered. Investigative unit The Hawks also discovered £20 000 (R325 000) was withdrawn from their bank account.

HuffPost SA reported that the pair checked into a bush lodge in KwaZulu-Natal three days after leaving Cape Town. An employee at the lodge said the couple stayed for only one night. They reportedly paid in cash and left in a hurry.

The HuffPost SA report added: “It is believed that a police hostage negotiator is the only one who knows where the couple is, and that no ransom demands have been made.”

Just days after they vanished, armed police arrested Del Vecchio and Patel in Vryheid, about 320km north of Durban, after a raid on their remote hideaway.

Del Vecchio also faces another terrorism-related charge for allegedly participating in “extremist web forums that support the IS and offering to supply phone numbers and SIM cards that are not traceable”. A third suspect, a 23-year-old man, was arrested in KwaZulu-Natal on Monday morning.

Hawks spokesperson Captain Lloyd Ramovha said on Monday that “the search is ongoing. We have a dedicated team [in the KwaZulu-Natal area] that is working around the clock.”

The incident prompted the British government to issue a travel advisory about possible terrorist attacks on foreign nationals in South Africa, implying that this is not a once-off incident but rather a warning not to be taken lightly.

However, Community Security Organisation (CSO) director Dean Rosin says the Jewish community does not need to panic. “The IS is generally a threat to Jewish communities globally and will try to create havoc and disruption wherever it can. It does not care about political alliances – for example, South Africa’s friendly relations with Arab countries – and will try to attack Western targets when possible.”

But he maintains that his team has not seen an increased local threat and says CSO is waiting for the investigation into the couple’s abduction to reach its conclusion. He recommends that community members remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity to the CSO.