Thulsie brothers could be out of prison in five years

The Thulsie twins, Brandon-Lee and Tony-Lee, entered a plea and sentencing agreement with the State on Monday, 7 February – the same day their long-awaited terrorism trial was expected to begin.

The Thulsie twins have been in State custody for five years and seven months. They were arrested in July 2016 for allegedly plotting terror attacks on South African soil.

The State alleged that the brothers have links to ISIS and were planning to bomb the US embassy, the UK High Commission and Jewish institutions in the country. The brothers also allegedly attempted to head to Syria and join the terrorist group on two occasions.

Both brothers pleaded guilty to attempting to leave the country to join ISIS, while Brandon-Lee pleaded guilty to being in possession of an ISIS guide, which detailed how to acquire weapons and make bombs.

Tony-Lee pleaded guilty to a charge of conspiracy to commit a terrorist attack in South Africa. It is said that he was in regular contact with an ISIS affiliate and indicated that he would blow himself up when attacking one of the targets.

As part of the deal, the State dropped some of the charges the Thulsie brothers were facing. They both pleaded guilty to two each.

Brandon-Lee will serve eight years in jail and Tony-Lee will be imprisoned for slightly longer with 11 years. The time they’ve already spent in custody will count towards the sentences, so, Brandon-Lee should be released in approximately two years and Tony-Lee five.

Source: The South African