US sanctions four ISIS members in South Africa

State Department says latest action builds on designation of four other group members earlier this year

The US Treasury Department announced sanctions against four people affiliated with ISIS in South Africa. AP

The US on Monday sanctioned four ISIS members in South Africa, with the Treasury Department accusing them of providing technical, financial or material support to the terror group.

The South Africa-based ISIS members named in Monday's designation are associates of cell leader Farhard Hoomer, whom the US accuses of pursuing the group's objectives in southern Africa.

The US identified brothers Nufael Akbar and Yunus Mohamad Akbar as two senior members of Hoomer's cell.

Two other associates of Hoomer, Mohamed Akbar and Umar Akbar, were arrested in 2018 for being involved in a plot to set off explosive devices near a mosque and commercial buildings.

“Today, Treasury is targeting key individuals in ISIS’s network in South Africa, as well as their business assets, who have played pivotal roles in enabling terrorism and other criminal activities in the region,” Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian Nelson said in a statement.

In a joint action with the State Department, the Treasury also designated eight companies owned, controlled or directed by the sanctioned men.

State Department spokesman Ned Price said Washington's actions build on the previous designation of four ISIS members in South Africa earlier this year for their alleged involvement in planning attacks and carrying out recruitment activities for ISIS.