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SA cousins deny al-Qaeda link
22/01/2007 07:12 - (SA)
Johannesburg - Two South Africans denied
they had any links to al-Qaeda on Sunday after the United
Nations Security Council named them as suspects.
South Africa's foreign ministry spokesperson Ronnie Mamoepa
confirmed a report in the local Sunday Times that Farhad Ahmed
Dockrat and his cousin Junaid Ismail Dockrat were put on the
UN list of suspected militants on Friday.
Papers submitted by the United States to the Security
Council alleged Junaid is an al-Qaeda "financier, recruiter and
facilitator" who co-ordinated the travel of South Africans to
Pakistan to train with the militant group, said the newspaper.
Junaid, a Johannesburg dentist, told Reuters there was no
truth to the allegations.
"This is absolutely false. I have nothing to do with al-Qaeda or any militant group," he said.
"I am sure our government will exonerate me of these
charges. We have a democracy. It is unfortunate that the power
of the United States can have an impact on every aspect of my
life and could hurt my standing in the community."
Denial
Farhad, a cleric who lives near Pretoria, also dismissed the
accusations and said he was an ordinary mosque preacher.
"These allegations are not true. I preach from the pulpit to
students and other members of the public. I have no ties with
any militant groups," he told Reuters.
The United Nations could freeze the two men's assets and
prevent them from leaving South Africa, which assumes the
presidency of the UN Security Council in March.
Asked if South Africa would take action against the two men,
Mamoepa said: "We are waiting for directives from the minister
of foreign affairs."
US officials say al-Qaeda operatives are in Somalia, Sudan
and North Africa, while fund raising and recruiting have become
a serious worry in South Africa, Nigeria and the trans-Sahara
region.
Junaid said later in a statement that he had only learned
that his name had been put on the UN list through the media.
"I am a law abiding citizen and am prepared to contest the
allegations in a court of law," he said.
"I have full confidence that our government will not yield
to pressure to act in a manner that would deprive me of my
constitutional rights and I would like to be presumed innocent."
The United States believes al-Qaeda would like to extend its
reach and create a new safe haven in Africa's vast,
hard-to-govern regions.
Africa, with its rich energy and mineral reserves, has
become increasingly important to Pentagon strategists as they
prepare for the expected return of battle-hardened African
Islamists from Iraq over the coming years.
Experts say it is difficult to root out al-Qaeda because it
inspires militants around the world who have no direct ties to
the group but heed its calls for holy war
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