South African identical twins arrested over the weekend were planning attacks on the U.S. Embassy in the capital Pretoria as well as on one or more buildings owned by Jews, police said on Monday.

Four South Africans, including the two brothers, faced charges related to Islamic State-inspired terrorism in court on Monday, the spokesman for the elite police unit Hawks, Brig Hangwani Mulaudzi, said.

The four, who were arrested by authorities in Johannesburg on Sunday, will be detained in custody until July 19, when their case will be heard, Mulaudzi said.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

The suspected Jewish targets were not named and it was unclear whether they might be synagogues or Jewish-owned property.

Brandon-Lee Thulsie and Tony-Lee Thulsie made a brief appearance in a packed Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court on Monday.

The twins are among four suspected Islamic State supporters arrested in anti-terrorism police raids carried out across Gauteng over the weekend.

It was unclear if the arrests were related to a controversial terror warning issued by British and American authorities in South Africa last month. The South African government dismissed those claims as unfounded.

Mulaudzi named the other two siblings as Fatima and Ibrahim Mohammed Patel.

“The indictment does talk to issues of terror plots that they were planning against the U.S. Embassy as well as Jewish Buildings in the country,” he said, referring to the twins.

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a gift today!

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

$90 $180

$360

Other amount