South Africa to investigate immigration status of late al-Qaeda kingpin

South Africa to investigate immigration status of late al-Qaeda kingpin
Collins Atohengbe, Pretoria

South Africa’s Department of Home Affairs has opened an investigation into the issue of the South African traveling document found on the body of the suspected head of al-Qaeda in East Africa, Fazul Abdullah Muhammad, who was killed last Wednesday in Mogadishu by forces of the Transition Monitoring Group.

A spokesman for the Department, Mannusha Pillai said Home Affairs was aware of media reports on the issue and that anyone found to have been involved in the issuance of the document to Fazul would face disciplinary action.

The South African passport found on the deceased was issued on the 13th of April, 2009 in the name of David Robison said to have been born in 1971. He travelled out of South Africa with a Tanzanian visa on March 19, 2011.

It was reported that there were two men in the vehicle when they were shot and killed at a check point where they failed to stop and also tried firing on soldiers of the AU Monitoring Force after they strayed into the part of Mogadishu under the control of Somalia Transitional Government. It is believed that they may have been returning from Lower Juba in southern Somalia where Fazul Mohammed was heading a group of foreign fighters under the name of "Abu-Abdirahman the Canadian".

Al-Shabab spokesman said although Fazul Mohammed was one of the victims of the shoot-out, there were thousands more like him who are still in the fight against those considered to be enemies of Allah who will carry on with the struggle.

Atrocities

Born in the Comoros Island 38 years ago, Fazul Abdullah joined Al-Qaeda in 1991. He is alleged to be the brain behind the massive US Embassy truck bombings in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam in July 1998. About 224 people died in the incident believed to be the worst atrocity by al-Qaeda until the September 2001 attacks.

From 2002, he was put in charge of al-Qaeda's operations in the whole of East Africa. That same year he planned anti-Israeli attacks in Mombasa that left 15 people dead.

Ekata