A 46-year-old Kuils River man alleged to have ties to a right-wing terror plot was released on R1 000 bail last week.
The Hawks arrested the man at his business last Thursday for being in possession of a firearm, explosives and explosive devices.
Hawks spokesperson Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi said the man was a suspected member of the National Christian Resistance Movement (NCRM) also known as the “Crusaders”.
He appeared at the Blue Downs Magistrate’s Court on Friday, December 6 and will be back in court on March 27 next year.
“The state asked for R10 000 bail, but the man’s lawyer asked for R1 000 and the court accepted it,” he said.
Last Thursday, the Hawks and Crime Intelligence raided two residences belonging to Harry Johannes Knoesen, the alleged leader of the right-wing Christian organisation, who was alleged to be on the verge of launching a terror campaign targeting shopping malls and informal settlements, the Saturday Star reported.
Mr Knoesen was arrested at his house in Middelburg, Mpumalanga. On the same day, the Hawks also raided Mr Knoesen’s farm in the Eastern Cape, where they found chemicals, electronic devices, documents and an unlicensed firearm and ammunition.
Hawks investigators had been investigating Mr Knoesen for two years and received a tip-off he was about to launch an attack targeting national key points, shopping malls and informal settlements.
He was charged for terrorism related-activities in contravention of the Protection of Constitutional Democracy Against Terrorism and Related Activities Act and was also charged with the unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition.
He is due to make his second court appearance on January 12, 2020.
– Additional reporting by IOL