Image copyright Nick Bailey Image caption Rodney Saunders’s body used to be found by way of fishermen in February 
South African police have identified the body of a British botanist kidnapped with her husband in a case with suspected hyperlinks to the Islamic State team (IS).
Rachel Saunders, 63, and her husband Rodney Saunders, 74, had been ultimate seen alive on 10 February.
Police found Rodney’s frame on 17 February in a river.
Authorities known Rachel’s body on Wednesday however they did not say the place they’d found her is still.
Capt Lloyd Ramovha, of the elite Hawks investigative unit, said in a press release: “A multi-pronged investigation via the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation and the South African Police Service’s Forensic Science Laboratory… ended in the sure id of the mortal continues to be of Rachel Saunders.”
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How did the research spread?
Suspects Fatima Patel, 27, and Saffydeen Aslam del Vecchio, 38, had been arrested on 16 February, at some point sooner than Rodney’s body used to be discovered. Ahead Of the arrests, they have been both under police surveillance and are purported to have hoisted an IS flag in the reserve where the couple disappeared.
Ms Patel had prior to now been arrested, with her brother, in 2016 all the way through a separate anti-terrorism raid towards Johannesburg. Neither of them were charged.
Themba Xulu, 19, was once later arrested after the couples’ mobile phones were present in his possession, with a fourth suspect named as Ahmad Mussa, 36, from Malawi.
Xulu received a suspended 3-yr sentence after hanging a plea discount with prosecutors, with the rest nonetheless in custody and due in court docket on 24 August on murder, kidnapping and theft fees.
Does IS have a presence in South Africa?
There were no identified assaults by way of IS, or every other jihadist crew, in South Africa.
The most prominent case ever linked to IS within the u . s . involved the Thulsie twins – Brandon-Lee and Tony-Lee.
They were arrested right through raids in 2016 that still noticed Fatima Patel detained – regardless that she was once no longer charged on the time.
The twins are expected to face trial on terrorism fees related to alleged plans to assault the us embassy in South Africa and Jewish goals.
