Third suspect nabbed in missing couple case linked to Isis cell

A third suspect has been arrested in connection with the disappearance of a Cape Town couple‚ thought to have been abducted by a “cell” linked to terror group Isis.

Hawks spokesman Captain Lloyd Ramovha said on Monday that a man was detained and would appear in the Mtunzini Magistrate’s court on Wednesday. He did not provide further details.

The couple‚ prominent botanists‚ were abducted near Vryheid in KwaZulu-Natal nearly two weeks ago and have been missing since. The identities of the missing Britons‚ who have lived in SA for many years‚ is known to TimesLIVE but are being withheld.

Several days after they vanished‚ Hawks counter-terror operatives swooped on a man and woman they are holding under protracted surveillance.

The suspects‚ Sayfydeen Aslam Del Vecchio‚ 38‚ and Fatima Patel‚ 27‚ remain at the centre of the high-level probe. The two appeared in the Vryheid Magistrate's Court last Monday and face charges related to terrorism‚ abduction and possibly murder.

The pair are accused of siphoning over R700,000 from the missing couple’s bank accounts‚ purchasing camping equipment‚ electronics and jewellery.