Citizen Alert ZA: Reports: al-Shabaab planned to meet in SA
No Fear No Favour No Terrorists or Refugees in SA please........
Govan Whittles SOUTH AFRICA 24 SEPTEMBER 2013 07:30
JOHANNESBURG – Fresh questions have been raised about South Africa’s role as a safe haven for terrorists after a series of unconfirmed tweets from Somalia’s al Qaeda linked al-Shabaab group have suggested Pretoria is the next rendezvous point for the group.
A group of between 10 and 15 militants stormed Nairobi’s upscale Westgate Shopping Mall at lunchtime on Saturday and began shooting civilians indiscriminately killing at least 62 and wounding several others.The validity of the Twitter account has not yet been established, but on it, al-Shabaab suggests its militants will rendezvous in Pretoria once the siege on the Nairobi mall is completed.Anneli Botha, a senior researcher on terrorism at the Institute for Security Studies says al-Shabaab rebels have previously used South Africa to plan attacks.Meanwhile, the Department of Home Affairs says it will try determine the validity of a South African passport belonging to a woman believed to be one of the militants involved in the attack on Westgate Shopping Mall.Samantha Lewthwaite, known as the White Widow, is the widow of one of the suicide bombers who killed more than 50 people on London's transport system in 2005.Lewthwaite is believed to be a key member of Somalia’s al Qaeda linked al-Shabaab group and is wanted in connection with an alleged plot to attack hotels and restaurants in Kenya. This morning, the Beeld newspaper published a picture of Lewthwaite’s face on a South African passport under the name Natalie Faye Webb.
Department spokesperson Ronnie Mamoepa says the passport might be fake.
“You can’t for certain say just from a picture in a newspaper that this is a valid South African passport.”
He said the department will work with Kenyan authorities to determine the passport’s validity.
'Amerikaners, Brit onder aanvallers'
New York. - Kenia se minister van buitelandse sake sê twee of drie jong Amerikaanse mans en 'n Britse vrou was deel van die groep aanvallers wat die Westgate-winkelsentrum in Nairobi die afgelope naweek bestorm het.
Minstens 62 mense is in die aanval dood. Die Al-Sjabaab-groep het verantwoordelikheid vir die bloedbad aanvaar.
Minister Amina Mohamed het in 'n onderhoud met die Amerikaanse PBS-televisiediens in antwoord op 'n vraag hieroor gesê: "Uit die inligting tot ons beskikking, twee of drie Amerikaners en ek dink tot dusver het ek van een Brit ('n vrou) gehoor . . . en sy het, dink ek, dit al baie keer voorheen gedoen." Volgens die minister is die Amerikaners waarskynlik tussen 18 en 19 jaar oud, van Somaliese of Arabiese oorsprong en het hulle in die VSA "in Minnesota en nog 'n plek" gewoon.
Mohamed sê dit onderstreep die "globale aard van die oorlog waarby ons betrokke is".
CNN het van die aanvallers se name - wat glo van Al-Sjabaab verkry is - bekend gemaak. Volgens die uitsaaier sluit die groep ook 'n Fin en 'n Kanadees in. Na wat berig word, was regeringsmagte laat Maandagaand en vroeg Dinsdagoggend besig om die Westgate-sentrum "skoon te maak".
Manoah Esipisu, 'n Keniaanse regeringswoordvoer, het aan die nuusagentskap AFP gesê die beleg was vinnig besig om sy einde te nader. "Ons spesiale magte is in die sentrum. Die sentrum is duidelik 'n baie, baie groot gebou."
"Ons dink dat almal, al die gyselaars, nou uit die gebou ontruim is, maar ons wil nie enige kanse waag nie. Die spesiale magte noem dié proses 'sanering'. Dit is 'n ingewikkelde en baie delikate situasie. "Tot dusver het hulle nog geen teenkanting ervaar nie, maar 'n paar van die aanvallers kruip in 'n beheerkamer of hoek weg,'' het Esipisu aan die nuusagentskap gesê. **Erika Gibson berig die sogenaamde “wit weduwee”, ’n Britse vrou wat een van Al-Sjabaab se hoofwerwers in Oos-Afrika is en moontlik ook help beplan het aan die Nairobi-winkelsentrumbeleg, is ’n gereelde besoeker aan Suid-Afrika.
Die vrou, Samantha (Sam) Lewthwaite, gebruik blykbaar ook minstens een vervalste Suid-Afrikaanse paspoort as een van verskeie aliasse waaronder sy reis.- Sapa-AFP​
Lees ook: 'Wit terro was in SA'
We must remember that this is the country (Kenya) where our SA troops were sent before being redeployed to the DRC by our president Zuma.
Did Al-Shabaab perhaps see this deployment by SA troops as a direct threat to their Al-Qaeda links in Somalia?
We must also remember that Samantha Lewthwaite was seen in South Afirca prior to her deployment to Al-SHABAAB IN SOMALIA.
SHE WILL LEAVE A PATH OF DESTRUCTION WHERE EVER SHE GOES.
HenriettaSeptember 24, 2013 at 1:29 AMO yeah?? And not so long ago a journalist had to retract what he wrote about terro training camps? Just to refresh our memories - - and be sure the read the "related stories" too to get a fuller picture: http://www.iol.co.za/news/politics/daily-maverick-retracts-al-qaeda-story-1.1534520#.UkFMc38yIjEReplyDeleteAnonymousSeptember 26, 2013 at 5:20 AMDo not make these things public. Think before you do. You are jeopordising intelligence gathering worldwide.ReplyDeleteAnonymousSeptember 27, 2013 at 2:59 AMANONYMOUS - If you had identified yourself you may have averted this massacre.....?ReplyDeleteAdd commentLoad more...