Suspects in Verulam Mosque terror attack walk free
The case against 12 men arrested in connection with the Verulam mosque attack and multiple bomb scares in and around Durban has been struck off the roll.
The group faced terror-related charges, murder, attempted murder, kidnapping and extortion made a brief appearance in the Verulam Magistrate's Court on Monday.
The State had requested another postponement in the case to give their expert witness more time, to put together evidence that was downloaded from devices taken from the accused for investigation.
The State prosecutor had previously mentioned that they were in possession of over 200 devices with about five terabytes of information on them.
Magistrate Irfaan Khalil refused to give any further adjournments in the matter, stating that the case had already been on the roll for a year and nine months.
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He also said that there was prejudice to the accused who have been ostracised in society.
In a statement, the NPA in KZN says that the matter is being closely monitored and their investigations will continue.
"The court further ruled that once the investigation is completed, the State will have to obtain the authority of the Director of Public Prosecutions, Kwa-Zulu Natal, to reinstate a prosecution against the accused in this matter," says spokesperson Natasha Kara.
The men were arrested at the beginning of October in 2018 in connection with a fatal knife attack at a Verulam Mosque where Abbas Essop was killed.
They were also allegedly behind several bomb scares in and around Durban, two of which were found at Woolworths stores in Gateway and Pavillion.
During their bail application, the investigating officer in the case said that detectives found manuals for carrying out a terrorist attack, pro-ISIS newsletters as well as ISIS flags during a raid on some of the accused homes.
