Overview
- Airport police at OR Tambo intercepted four men at a boarding gate after a tip-off and handed them to the Hawks’ Crimes Against the State section.
- The detainees are scheduled to appear in the Kempton Park Magistrates’ Court on Monday on suspected contraventions of the Regulation of Foreign Military Assistance Act.
- A preliminary inquiry points to a local female facilitator, and officers obtained a search-and-seizure warrant for another suspect linked to a fifth person believed to be in Russia.
- An interview with an arriving suspect on November 27 produced evidence that led to three further arrests on November 28 and the seizure of electronic devices and two backpacks.
- The Hawks say they are working with intelligence services and international partners, while local outlets report one of the arrested individuals is a senior media personality.