US warns about potential terrorist attack
Terrorists are plotting an attack on a crowded public space in an upscale Johannesburg neighborhood, according to a “security alert” issued by the US embassy in South Africa on Wednesday. The embassy warned its staff to avoid crowds in that area over the weekend.
The warning states that “the US government” – no specific agency or individual – was tipped off that terrorists are “planning to conduct an attack targeting large gatherings of people at an unspecified location in the greater Sandton area of Johannesburg” on October 29.
Sandton is a major financial and business hub, hosting Johannesburg’s stock exchange, as well as numerous corporate offices and high-end shopping developments. In addition to Halloween celebrations, the weekend’s scheduled events include the city's annual LGBTQ Pride parade.
While the US warning did not specify any further information “regarding the timing, method, or target of the potential attack,” media speculation has drifted toward the Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) terrorist group, which threatened in 2020 to “open a fighting front inside [South Africa’s] borders” should the country intervene militarily in Mozambique, where IS had been taking credit for attacks. However, no communications from the typically boastful terror group preceded Washington’s latest announcement.
South Africa, a member of the BRICS trade and cooperation group that includes Russia and China, has refused to enforce US and EU sanctions on Russia, stating the measures hurt “bystander countries.” Several African nations have lost or stand to lose access to cheap food and fertilizer due to the restrictions imposed by the West. President Cyril Ramaphosa last month urged the US not to “punish” African countries for working with Russia on trade and development projects, arguing a proposed piece of US legislation would “harm” and “marginalize” the continent by pressuring independent countries to distance themselves from Moscow.
