On Wednesday, Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba confirmed that a suspected Syrian member of terror group Islamic State (IS) was refused entry at OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg in December. The man was carrying Syrian and Uruguayan passports. "This goes to show the important role immigration plays in security‚" Gigaba said. "Before the 2016-17 festive period‚ SA had beefed up security by rolling out biometrics at selected points ... People feel safe when coming to SA." Over the weekend, The Sunday Times reported that a bomb maker working for IS was arrested at a Turkish airport last month as he was about to board a flight to Johannesburg. The suspect‚ an Iraqi named Abu Osama‚ was allegedly planning an attack in SA. "Our intelligence officials believe Abu wasn’t coming to SA to recruit for IS‚ but to identify a specific target that would later be attacked‚" Iraqi ambassador Saad Kindeel told the Sunday Times. Osama’s arrest took place shortly after immigration offic...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.