Durban - A Durban man sanctioned by the US for allegedly leading an Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (Isis) cell in the city, has distanced himself from the terror threats.
Farhad Hoomer, who was in Morocco visiting family, said he had been contacted by friends and family after the US Embassy in South Africa issued a terror alert, warning of a potential attack on gatherings in Sandton, Johannesburg. He said he was told that he was being linked on social media to the threats.
“I want the South African government to be on high alert that if anything happens, they arrest the people and find out where they are from and what they are up to. I don’t want to come back to South Africa and have problems knowing they are using my name,” he said.
The country’s security agencies heightened police visibility at more than 500 sporting, cultural and recreational events that took place in the country this weekend on the back of the announcement by the US. The National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (NATJOINTS) which comprised of various government departments led by State Security Agency (SSA), South African Police Service (SAPS) and South African National Defence Force (SANDF) in a joint statement, said measures were in place to deal with the threats to national security.
The LGBTQ community’s pride parade, perceived to have been one of the targeted events, went ahead in Sandton, while the coronation of Zulu King Misuzulu kaZwelithini, which was attended by local and international heads of states, royal families, dignitaries and thousands of locals took place at Durban’s Moses Mabhida Stadium.
Other major gatherings such as the Soweto Derby between Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs and a rugby match between South Africa and Ireland also occurred.
Earlier this year Hoomer, and three other South Africans, were sanctioned by the US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (Ofac), prohibiting US entities from transacting with them. The men were accused of playing a central role in facilitating the transfer of funds from the top of the Isis hierarchy to branches across Africa. In 2018 Hoomer and 11 others were charged for terror-related activities in Durban.
He was accused of being the mastermind behind the attack on the Imam Hussain Mosque in Verulam which claimed the life of Abbas Essop and the group was also accused of planting incendiary devices around Durban. They also faced various other charges‚ including murder, attempted murder‚ arson, extortion and of being aligned to Islamic State.
In 2020, Magistrate Irfaan Khalil, struck the matter off the roll at the Verulam Magistrate’s Court because the state had asked for a postponement as it was not ready with its case. Speaking to the Sunday Tribune this week, Hoomer claimed that his families in Morocco and Tunisia were being questioned by the FBI. “Now we hear about this terror threat.
The FBI knows where my family lives. I don’t know the reason for their questioning because they wanted to know where I was and about my business interests in Morocco. My phone has been tapped since 2018 and all my movements are known.
“I was in Russia for two months, which they knew about. The SA Embassy contacted me in Russia wanting to know where I am and if I was okay. The South African government sent them an email stating I was locked up in Russia. That’s all a lie. I was never arrested in Russia.
I was there on business. I was supposed to be there for a few days but it took me longer than I expected because of the sanctions in Russia. I was there for 75 days. I then came to Morocco,” he said. He said all his accounts have been closed in SA and he was unable to conduct business here. “Now that I’m trying to do business elsewhere, I don’t know what they are up to,” he said.
Following the terror alert President Cyril Ramaphosa criticised the US, for not speaking to local authorities before making the announcement.
“It’s unfortunate that the US government issued that type of warning without having had deep-dive type discussions with us,” said Ramaphosa. In a statement by the SAPS, it said NATJOINTS can give the assurance that the intelligence community diligently follows up on any information at hand but has not confirmed the veracity of any threat at this stage in time. Security agencies remain on high alert.
It further stated that NATJOINTS has counter-intelligence measures in place to assess and mitigate terrorism threats. It said heightened police visibility, roadblocks and search-and-seizure operations were to be carried out at over 500 events, of which more than 200 were to be hosted in Gauteng, from Friday to today.
SUNDAY TRIBUNE