Three arrested for 'planning a terror attack'

Suspects said to be part of a religious cult and were planning to attack an Afrikaans church

Three right-wingers, who were believed to be planning a church attack in Limpopo, will appear in the Naboomspruit Magistrate’s Court on Monday.

The three were arrested on Friday at a farm near Mookgopong (Naboomspruit) when the police were called to an arson scene.

Limpopo police said they discovered that the farm was being used as a training centre for security guards who were then deployed to work on farms.

The three men had previously received training on the farm, but were kicked out last week after causing problems, said Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi.

They returned on Thursday night, and forcefully gained entry onto the farm.

An argument started between them and people living on the farm, and they allegedly set alight two tents.

He said that during the arrest, police confiscated several self-made weapons such as swords, bulletproof vests, helmets with spikes, batons with spikes and suspected bomb manufacturing material.

Further investigation by police revealed that the men might have been members of a religious cult and allegedly were planning to attack either a NG or a Reformed church during a service in Mookgopong.

“They believed that only whites were to live in South Africa, the rest must be killed. Leaflets believed to be occult related were also found on the premises,” said Mulaudzi.

Rapport newspaper reported police as saying the church attack was to have happened on Sunday.     

Photographs of different churches were found on the men’s cameras and cellphones.