‘No radical Islamist elements here’ says Azaadville neighbourhood watch chair in wake of arrests of terror suspects

The chairman of the Azaadville Neighbourhood Watch and member of its community policing forum‚ Ismail Nana‚ says there are no elements of radical Islam in his community.

Two people from Azaadvile‚ west of Johannesburg‚ were among four alleged terror suspects who were arrested by the Hawks at the weekend.

The neighbourhood watch works with the police service and armed response services and is responsible for ensuring the area is crime-free.

“To my knowledge‚ there are no radical Islamist elements in our community‚” Nana said.

He added that as far as he was aware‚ no one in the area wanted to be involved with the Islamic State.

 “No one supports it or wants to support it‚” Nana said.

The four were identified after they tried to fly to Syria last year. They were refused a flight by an international airline after the airline was informed of their intentions.

Meanwhile‚ the SA Jewish Board of Deputies said it had noted the arrests and the fact that the alleged targets included Jewish installations.

“Terrorism is a global challenge that affects many countries‚ including our own.

“We appreciate efforts by our authorities to monitor and prevent incidents of terrorism‚ and we will be monitoring the current situation‚” the board said in a statement.