UK government issues terror warning for travelers visiting South Africa

The British government has issued a travel warning to its citizens in South Africa, following potential terror activities in the country.

In a post published on the UK government’s official travel advice page, it warned that UK citizens in particular were targets and at risk of kidnapping for financial gain.

The statement reads:

Updated information on the terrorist threat from extremists linked to Daesh; in February 2018, two South African-British dual nationals were kidnapped; Safety and security section (Criminal kidnaps) – there’s an increasing threat of kidnap throughout South Africa; kidnaps can be for financial gain or motivated by criminality; British nationals can be perceived as being wealthier than locals and may be at particular risk of kidnap for financial gain.

The advisory follows reports that police and intelligence agencies have linked the disappearance of a Cape Town couple to a cell with ties to the global terror group ISIS.

The missing couple, whose names have been withheld by authorities, are understood to have been kidnapped while on holiday in KwaZulu-Natal, reports TimesLive.

Following their disappearance, a man and woman who had been held under surveillance by counter-terrorism agents were arrested in a covert swoop in Vryheid in northern KwaZulu-Natal.

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