Suspect in botanists’ murders fingers CIA

THE kidnapping and murder of Cape Town botanists Rod and Rachel Saunders may have been staged by the CIA or FBI, alleged Islamic State acolyte and murder accused Sayfudeen Aslam Del Vecchio claimed yesterday.

Del Vecchio was speaking in court where he‚ along with his wife, Fatima Patel‚ and a boarder‚ Ahmad Jackson Mussa‚ are alleged to have kidnapped the elderly couple in February while they toured KwaZulu-Natal.

Mortal remains of Rod Saunders found on the Tugela River banks were identified using DNA profiling.

The three are alleged to have drained the Saunders’ bank accounts, murdered them and then dumped their bodies from a bridge into the crocodile-infested river.

The prominent botanists‚ who lived in Cape Town for about 30 years‚ were last seen on February 10 near the Bivane Dam on the outskirts of Vryheid in KwaZulu-Natal.

Del Vecchio made the claims of the hidden hand in an affidavit placed before the Verulam Regional Court as he and Patel make a bid for bail.

“There is no evidence of the kidnapped couple and to stage something like this is not a task unknown to agencies like the FBI and CIA‚” he said.

Del Vecchio went on to turn on his former friend Mussa‚ also known as “Bazooka”‚ accusing him of being a secret agent.

“I am now beginning to believe that Bazooka may have been an appointed agent to establish evidence against my wife and I‚ resulting in the current arrest‚” he said.

It was reported that startling allegations that the vanished couple might have been stalked as a “good hunt” by Del Vecchio and Patel‚ apparently to strike fear into the hearts of those opposed to Islamic State‚ had been made before the court.

Patel and Del Vecchio face charges of murder‚ kidnapping‚ robbery and contravention of domestic counter-terrorism laws.

Arguments in their application for bail will continue on May 10.