Johannesburg – A 33-year-old man linked to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (Isis) was arrested inside the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court this week while appearing on another matter.
Ryan Mitchell Grobler was taken into custody on Thursday, 11 September, by the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, better known as the Hawks. He faces charges of murder, kidnapping, attempted murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances, and contravening the Protection of Constitutional Democracy Against Terrorist and Related Activities Act of 2004.
According to Hawks spokesperson Colonel Katlego Mogale, Grobler was wanted in connection with a kidnapping and robbery that took place on 9 March 2025 in Norwood. An Ethiopian national was allegedly abducted and later found unharmed in Kensington the following day. Investigators say Grobler was positively identified and immediately arrested in court.
The case has been postponed to 23 September for a formal bail application. His arrest was the result of a joint operation by the Hawks’ Crimes Against the State unit in Gauteng and its head office.
The development comes at a time when the Islamic State of Africa (ISA), a group associated with Farhad Hoomer who was previously accused of terrorism in South Africa, had its application to register as a political party rejected by the Electoral Commission. The IEC dismissed the application on grounds of insufficient signatures, limited publication, and more than 200 objections. Critics said the organisation’s Sharia-based policies were inconsistent with the country’s constitution.
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