Zimbabwe police arrest World Cup terror plotters

Headlines, News — By on June 26, 2010 7:30 am

By Never Kadungure

Police in Zimbabwe have arrested two suspected terrorists who were on their way to South Africa with the likely intention of targeting the World Cup tournament being hosted there. One of those arrested is a Pakistani national suspected to have taken part in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks in India.

Thirty-three year old Imran Muhammad was nabbed at the Beitbridge border post on the 20th of June alongside another Pakistani national, 39-year-old Chaudry Parvez Ahmed. Both were trying to cross into South Africa where the first ever World Cup on African soil is being held.

Police spokesman Wayne Bvudzijena confirmed that the two were arrested after they were found using fake Kenyan passports.

“Investigations are still being carried out through Interpol to see who these people are. We will have to get information from the Pakistani authorities to see what they have on these two,” Bvudzijena said.

It’s thought both Muhammad and Ahmed flew from Saudi Arabia to Tanzania, before connecting to Zimbabwe by road. “This is part of our investigations. We will only be able to know why they wanted to travel to South Africa once our investigations are completed,” Bvudzijena added.

Zimbabwe has a famously efficient state security agency which in March 2004 intercepted a plane load of 67 mercenaries led by former British SAS officer Simon Mann.

The group was on its way to Equatorial Guinea to topple brutal dictator Teodoro Obiang but were arrested when their private plane landed at Harare International Airport.

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