ANT KATZ

ANA reports that the Thulsie twins – Brandon-Lee and Tony-Lee – accused of plotting terror attacks on Jewish and American interests in South Africa, on Tuesday abandoned their bail applications in the Johannesburg Magistrates’ Court.

The 23-year-old twins were originally on July 9 after police, tipped off by several foreign intelligence agencies that one of them, code-named “Simba”, had advertised on the dark-web to purchase detonators for explosive devices.

The Hawks first raided the home of their associate, Ronaldo Smit, who apparently admitted the plot and agreed to turn state witness. He remains in police protective custody.

The Hawks then searched the homes of the twins, both in the Newclare suburb of Johannesburg, where they say they found documents (which have not yet been shown in numerous court appearances) that police said incriminated them in planning to join ISIS and plots to bomb a soft American target and a list of “Jewish installations”.

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The original court application was for bail – which is a particularly onerous process under the SA Terrorism Act. The accused pair, represented by senior advocate Anneline Van den Heever, however, took a different route and told the Johannesburg Magistrates Court that her clients denied the charges and contended police officers who arrested them at their Newclare home on the West Rand had acted unlawfully because they only had a search warrant.

Although police conceded they did not have an arrest warrant, they insisted they acted lawfully once they found the (as yet undisclosed) evidence.

After a lengthy hearing the Magistrate found the arrest was lawful. Instead of then proceeding with the bail hearing in August, Van den Heever told the court she would seek a High Court review.

That matter also failed and was struck from the roll. This triggered the original bail application’s reinstatement – which was set for Tuesday.

However, while the High Court application to review the ruling was struck off the roll at the time, legal sources tell JR Online that this was mainly due to the fact that the law required that it be heard by two judges. “It is still an active review at the High Court, but certain transcripts remain outstanding,” the source, who asked not to be named, told JR Online today.

But the Magistrates Court hearing on Tuesday had to be attended and the accused, who have been in jail since their arrest on July 9, told the court they had decided to abandon their bail applications.

Prosecutor Chris MacAdam then asked the court for an eight-week postponement, saying the state was in the process of requesting evidence against the accused from foreign countries. Magistrate Pieter du Plessis told MacAdam that he was only prepared to grant him three weeks.

The matter has now been set down for hearing on November 4.

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Jewish organisations and institutions are anxiously awaiting sight of a list of proposed or potential sites the Hawks said they had originally confiscated from one of the Thulsie twins’ homes. Police later said state security had taken the list and other items of evidence away.

In the meantime, many Johannesburg Jewish schools, shuls and other “installations” (the term used on the charge sheet) have been bolstering security.