A Court in Johannesburg, South Africa has convicted and jailed twin brothers over plans to launch a terrorist attack on the U.S Embassy in Pretoria.
The twin brothers ; Tony-Lee Thulsie and Brandon-Lee Thulsie, both 28, were arrested in South Africa in July 2016 and have been detained since then. They are also the first in the country to be arrested over alleged Islamic State (IS) membership.
Local media in South Africa report that the South African siblings pleaded guilty during their trial on Monday. The Johannesburg High Court however sentenced Tony-Lee to 11 years imprisonment while Brandon-Lee was sentenced to eight years.
The duo planned a trip to Syria in order to join the IS Group, with Tony-Lee admitting that they were going to launch an onslaught against the U.S, British, Russian, and French diplomats in Pretoria.
Only Brandon-Lee pleaded guilty to count 7, which relates to being in possession of terror-related material in the form of a book titled: How to survive in the West – A Mujahid Guide.
While Tony-Lee pleaded guilty to the third alternative of count 4, which relates to him intentionally conspiring to engage in terrorism activity in South Africa.
Brendon-Lee is to serve eight years in total, while his brother Tony-Lee was given eleven years. The time the twin spent in custody since 2016 will count towards time served.
It is pertinent to mention that the U.S added the duo to its terror blacklist in 2017.
