
12 SANDF soldiers accused of murdering Hawks investigator granted bail
The soldiers, who cannot be named because an identity parade is yet to be conducted are accused of the murder of Mathipa on the N1 near the Hammanskraal off-ramp on 6 August 2023.
They have also been charged with the kidnapping of alleged ISIS leader in South Africa, Abdela Abadiga, and his bodyguard, Kadir Abotese, from the Mall of Africa on 22 December 2022.
Abadiga and Abotese have not been found and have been presumed dead.

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Associated Press
28 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Morrocan truck drivers kidnapped by Islamic State group released in Mali
BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — Four Moroccan truck drivers, who were kidnapped in January in West Africa by the Islamic State group and held captive for months, were released late Sunday, Malian authorities said. The truckers were traveling 3,000 miles to transport electrical equipment from Casablanca to Niamey, the capital of Niger, before they were reported missing on January 18, 2025, in northeastern Burkina Faso, near the border with Niger. The Malian government said in a statement read on public television late Monday the truck drivers were released 'safe and sound' Sunday evening. It added the four were held by the Islamic State in the Sahel Province, a subgroup of the Islamic state group. Malian public television showed video of the drivers wearing traditional Malian clothes in the company of junta leader Gen. Assimi Goïta. The Malian government said their release was made possible thanks to the coordinated efforts between Mali's National State Security Agency and Morocco's foreign intelligence service. Mali, along with neighboring Burkina Faso and Niger, has for more than a decade battled an insurgency by armed groups, including some allied with al-Qaida and the Islamic State group. Following military coups, the three countries expelled French forces and turned to Russia's mercenary units for assistance, but the security situation has been deteriorating. In May, extremist fighters abducted two Chinese nationals during an attack on an artisanal gold mining site in Mali. In February, Moroccan authorities said they arrested a dozen people who were planning attacks on behalf of the Islamic State in the Sahel Province subgroup. Morocco has worked to present itself as a regional leader and is forging deeper ties with countries in the Sahel. Foreign ministers of landlocked Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso said they were backing a Moroccan initiative granting them access to the Atlantic ocean using its ports. Last year, Rabat mediated the release of four French intelligence agents held in Burkina Faso. —— Akram Oubachir reported from Rabat, Morocco.


News24
28 minutes ago
- News24
Former New Zealand top cop Jevon McSkimming charged over child porn, bestiality material
New Zealand's former deputy police commissioner lost the right to anonymity Monday after he was charged with possessing child sexual exploitation and bestiality material. Jevon McSkimming was arrested in June and charged with eight counts of possessing objectionable material, but the courts had prevented media from reporting his name or other details of the case. Appearing in Wellington District Court on Monday, McSkimming opted not to seek an extension of the suppression order. His lawyer, Letizea Ord, told Judge Tim Black 'there is not a further application in respect of name suppression. It's accepted that it can lapse today.' He is yet to enter a plea. Asked as he left court if he had a message for the public, McSkimming said: 'No'. The 52-year-old is alleged to have possessed child exploitation material and bestiality between specific dates. One of the charges states the offenses happened between July 2020 and December 2024. McSkimming was suspended from his job on full pay in December 2024, when an investigation into his conduct was launched. Details of those allegations cannot be reported. He was on leave for six months before his resignation in May. Judge Black remanded McSkimming on bail, and he will reappear before the court in November.


Fox News
2 hours ago
- Fox News
Quadruple murder suspect Austin Drummond's lavish life behind bars included alcohol, TV streaming
Quadruple murder suspect Austin Drummond lived a comfortable life inside his prison cell filled with TV streaming, alcohol and video games, according to pictures he uploaded to Facebook. Authorities continue to search for Drummond, 28, who allegedly killed James M. Wilson, 21, Adrianna Williams, 20, Cortney Rose, 38, and Braydon Williams, 15, according to the Dyer County Police Department. Their bodies were discovered on July 29. Police said an infant that was found on the front lawn of a random individual's house is related to all four of the victims. Drummond served 13 years in Tennessee prison after being convicted of aggravated robbery and retaliation. The retaliation charge occurred while Drummond was in prison. He was released from prison on Sept. 1, 2024, according to the Tennessee Department of Corrections. Pictures posted to Drummond's Facebook show that he had a Roku, handheld video game device, at least one cell phone, and a pantry filled with food. In one picture, Drummond can be seen with a bottle of Ciroc Vodka. "Ciroc..... almost home living it up till I get there," Drummond wrote on Nov. 18, 2023, just under a year before he was released. Former NYPD Detective and security expert Pat Brosnan told Fox News Digital the prison wardens didn't do their job correctly. "I think there was a measure of both irresponsibility, neglect, and probably some recklessness as well in relation to not just the wardens, but the senior management staff, the captains, the deputy warden, the lieutenants," Brosnan said. "But the reality is they're supposed to have very frequent checks of the cells. They call them shakedowns. They shake down and make sure there's no drugs in there or any contraband. That's part of their policy and protocol in the state prison system, as well as the federal prison system." Brosnan said it's "absolutely" a possibility that Drummond knew someone who worked at the prison, and that's why he had the contraband. When Drummond allegedly killed the four individuals, he was out on bond in relation to an attempted murder charge. The attempted murder charge was filed in Dec. 2024, but officials said the alleged crime occurred while Drummond was still in prison. It's unclear how Drummond got the contraband into prisons controlled by the Tennessee Department of Corrections, but he was charged four times with getting contraband into a penal facility. A Tennessee Bureau of Investigation spokesperson told Fox News on Friday that the vehicle was found in Jackson, Tennessee, but Drummond wasn't inside. A law enforcement official briefed on the matter told Fox News Digital that Drummond is likely still in Tennessee. Drummond is wanted on charges of alleged first-degree murder, kidnapping, four counts of a felon in possession of a firearm and one count of possession of a firearm during the commission of a dangerous felony. Anyone with information about Drummond's whereabouts is encouraged to contact the Dyer County Police Department by calling (731)-285-2802 or 1-800-TBI-FIND. Fox News Digital reached out to the Tennessee Department of Corrections for comment.