Kempton Park:A 38-year-old foreign national is scheduled to appear in the Kempton Park Magistrates Court on Thursday, facing charges related to an alleged attempt to join the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war. The individual was apprehended while trying to depart South Africa at OR Tambo International Airport.
According to South African Government News Agency, the suspect was arrested under the Regulation of Foreign Military Assistance Act 15 of 1998. The arrest took place on Wednesday night, carried out by an integrated multidisciplinary investigation team. This team included INTERPOL Pretoria NCB, the Hawks’ Crimes Against the State and Serious Organised Crime Investigation unit based in Germiston, alongside international law enforcement agencies, the South African Police Service (SAPS) Crime Intelligence, the Modus Operandi Centre, the Gauteng Provincial Tracking Team, and several security companies.
The Hawks stated that the arrest was the result of intelligence gathered during the investigation, which led to a coordinated intervention. The suspect was allegedly on the way to participate in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. This incident follows the earlier arrest of nine other foreign nationals earlier in the week. The group, aged between 20 and 26, was taken into custody on Sunday night at OR Tambo International Airport and a hotel in Bruma, as they were allegedly preparing to leave the country for the same purpose.