Let's see. They were taking an innocent three-month-long hiking trip through Pakistan, and got caught in a peaceful shootout with Pakistani police. But they aren't involved in terrorism or anything. From The Star of South Africa, with thanks to PJS:
Two Gauteng hikers caught in a shoot-out with Pakistani anti-terrorist police and then detained as suspected associates of an al-Qaeda bomb maker flew home this week.Upon arrival in South Africa they were again taken into custody. After questioning by South African law enforcement and intelligence agencies, they were released on Wednesday into the care of their grateful families. The authorities made public the men's release only on Friday night.
Ismail's brother, Firhad, told a local radio station: "The family is overjoyed that Zubair is back with us. We thank Almighty Allah for bringing him safely back to us.
"We would like to thank the South African authorities for whatever help they were prepared to assist us with [that] eventually got him back to us."
Na'eem Jeenah, president of the Muslim Youth Movement, said on Friday night: "We are pleased that they have been returned to South Africa. We certainly would not have wanted them to be held in Pakistan or threatened to be sent to America.
"They would not have received a just hearing there."...
Ganchi resigned from a private health-care group on July 10, intending to take a three-month hiking tour through Pakistan with a friend, Zubair Ismail, 20, a medressa student from Laudium, Pretoria. Ganchi was due to take up a specialist post in South Africa on October 1....
On July 10 Ganchi and Ismail flew to Pakistan on a regular SAA flight going via Dubai. They were booked to return on September 24, but Ganchi's wife said she became worried "because for some reason his cellphone's roaming was not working. He usually contacted me every two to three days."
The last time she heard from Ganchi was on July 16 when he called her from somewhere "a little north of Lahore." Then, silence. She filed a missing person's report with the Department of Foreign Affairs.
On July 25 she was shocked to read in the local press that two men identified as South Africans "Feroze" (sic) and "Zubair Ismail" had been arrested along with four other adults following an intense eight-hour gunbattle in the city of Gujrat, one of several anti-terrorist sweeps conducted in Pakistan this year.
The police said they seized arms, explosives, laptop computers and world maps at the house, which was extensively damaged in the battle.
Meanwhile, Pakistan claimed in local newspapers that the arrested men were suspected members of an al-Qaeda "logistics and communications" cell operating from the rented house in Gujrat. Islamabad also claimed the "cell" was linked to an assassination attempt on a Pakistani military officer in Lahore earlier this year.
Other newspapers claimed the detainees were "suspected al-Qaeda militants" trained in Afghanistan and Iran who had been working secretly in Pakistan for the past three years - not the case with Ganchi and Ismail.
On July 29 came the revelation that one detainee was believed to be on the US's list of most wanted terrorists. Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani, of Tanzania was hunted around the globe over the 1998 al-Qaeda bombings of the US embassies in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam that left more than 200 people dead. Ghailani had a bounty of $25-million on his head.
Ganchi, Ismail and the other four adults were interrogated at a safe-house in Gujrat by a "joint interrogation team" representing all of Pakistan's intelligence agencies. Pakistan has been under intense pressure from the US to prove it is an ally in the "war on terror" and not providing a haven for al-Qaeda cells....
An AFP news agency report on August 3 claimed that Ganchi and Ismail told their interrogators they were planning to carry out attacks on Johannesburg's main tourist attractions.
But that report - and a claim in May by Police Commissioner Jackie Selebi that eight foreigners, seven of them later deported, were arrested for planning to bomb the British QE2 luxury liner when she docked in South Africa - were rejected by the Intelligence Ministry.
On Friday night Inspector Dennis Adriao, spokesperson for the National Police Commissioner, said Ganchi and Ismail "are free men and they are not being detained".
WHY ARE THEY ALIVE...???
I am just wondering how many Rand this family was set back to get these two adventurous young lads back safely to the fold
Jihad is a truly globalized enterprise....
Now if only we could have a few of those 'peaceful' anti-globalization protestors showup....and smash a few KFC/McDonald window panes in pretoria or lahore or something....
Too much to ask for?
Terminator
WHY ARE THEY ALIVE...???
These two where only small fish,and they did not have a price on their head.
Here is a good tip for any-one who wants to travel around in Asia "dont do crimes if you aint got the dimes" This applies to most of asia except Singapore.
Judging by this article,the South African Embassy knew the game pretty and the family/friends back home mangaged to come up with he cash pretty fast.
To understand this a little better,try and think that TAX is nothing more than legal corruption,and corruption is no more than unlegalized tax
Not too worry, the implanted GPS devices should lead us wto the rest of their particular group.
To buy a new roof to replace the leaky roof at the local police station goes a long way.At least you know what is happening with your money,more than you can say in the west.
This is slightly OT but may give a better insight as to how it works here in Indonesia,and I dont think it is much different in pakistan,or the rest of the islamic world
I will give two examples,Both are true
1] Fatimah was married at the age of 12,the marriage was arranged by her elder brother,who recieved one cow and about $150,by the time she was 13,1/2 she had her first child.While she was pregnant she did not want sex,which she did not relish even before becoming pregnant.While she was waiting for her first child,the husband left and took a prostitute as a second wife.About 8 months after Fatimah gave birth,the husband came back to the village and got drunk with Fatimahs brother before beating up the mother and rapeing Fatimah.For this the husband and brother where sentenced to 1 year,but the brother sold the family cow,and got the sentence reduced to 3 months.Not long after fatimah gave birth she came to work for me. About 4 months after the husband was released,he cut the throat of a customer of his second wife,while he was prison she went back to her old To buy a new roof to replace the leaky roof at the local police station goes a long way.At least you know what is happening with your money,more than you can say in the west.
This is slightly OT but may give a better insight as to how it works here in Indonesia,and I dont think it is much different in pakistan,or the rest of the islamic world
I will give two examples,Both are true
1] Fatimah was married at the age of 12,the marriage was arranged by her elder brother,who recieved one cow and about $150,by the time she was 13,1/2 she had her firs t child.While she was pregnant she did not want sex,which she did not relish even before becoming pregnant.While she was waiting for her first child he left and took a prostitute as a second wife.About 8 months after Fatimah gave birth,the husband came back to the village and got drunk with Fatimah brother before beating up the mother and raped Fatimah.For this the husband and brother where sentenced to 1 year,but the brother sold the family cow,and got the sentence reduced to 3 months.Not long after fatimah gave birth she came to work for me. About 4 months after the husband was released ,he cut the throat of a customer of his second wife,while he was prison she went back to her old trade Because I have a lot of women from the village where my comes from I have leased a house opposite my factory,she was able to live there.After about 2years the husband turned up at the house with a few friends demanding to see Fatimah.Because of my dogs they were not able to enter the fatory,when the police arrived,the husband and friends got a really good beating.
Since then there has been a few more incidents similar to this,one being I had a gang of muslims come to the factory demanding I build a mosque for my workers Fuck that I thought,so I had talk with the police about this.Well they pointed out they are planning to build a small police Station in the area I am situated and they needed some-one to be sent to the police academy in Jakarta to be a commander so as to take charge of the new station.
So that was the options open to me.As for Fatimah,she now has a boy friend who is now going to school to be a polce captain,and the husband was caught stealing a motor-bike,the police where not so fast to come and arrest him,when they did arrive he was hacked to pieces.
2] About a 2 years ago, twenty Expats where busted in Bali for drugs,in the house there was 4grams of coke and 10grams of hash.They all tested positive after a urine test,except one person.why this person was tested negative was because his brother was not at the party and was able to get $20,000,with the money the urine test for this person was switched and he was released on the understanding he gets out of Indonesia within 10 hrs,or he will be tested again.The remaining 19 ex-pats where sentenced about 20years each.It was possible for them to be released earlier,the price is about $200.000 and takes about 2 years for all the arrangement can be made.As of today most of this group are back in there own countries. In Krobokan jail there are quite a few Expats serving very long terms 15 years or more for just a gram or two.But to bail out a local for a drug offense its about $350
Yeah yeah justice for all
I have a feeling that most Ex-pats doing time for what we would regard as a minor offence will end up doing more time than the skum in this small article I would like to bring to your attention
Indonesian court requests clemency on behalf of Bali bombers 06/12/2004 23:00:54
An Indonesian court has submitted a request for presidential clemency on behalf of two men sentenced to death for the Bali nightclub blasts.
Court requests for clemency are automatic under Indonesian law if those convicted are sentenced to death and do not submit a request themselves.
The two bombers, Amrozi and Imam Samudra, failed to file for clemency by a November 3 deadline following their convictions as key players in the October 12, 2002, which killed 202 people.
Court spokesman, I Made Suratmadja, has described the clemency request as "a matter of legal procedure", saying it can be years before the president gives an answer.
More than two dozen Indonesian militants have been convicted over the Bali bombings, blamed on the Southeast Asian Islamic militant group, Jemaah Islamiah, which authorities say has links to Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network
'' Don't you ever feel cheated '' Johnny Rotten,at the end of his last concert with the Sex Pistols
Hiking through a war-ravaged region Tours, Inc?
There's guys sound about as much like "hikers" as Jeffrey Daumer sounded like a sous chef.
I hope the South African constabulary keep these two, and all in their acquaintence, on the "when are they going to strike" list.
Because they have only delayed an attack. And it makes you wish that the 'hikers' had been remanded into the home-detention custody of the judge.
Maybe that would galvanize some more brain cells into action on the bench. Having such 'guests'.
Maybe he would then know how all of Europe feels, at the moment. With their 'guests'.
As a fine lawyer once said:
"Just think of the tragedy of teaching children not to doubt." -C. Darrow.
We need more skepticism.
On the courts.
In the press.
And from the lawmakers supposedly defending freedom.