BAY ALSO ON EXTREMIST MAP

EXTREMIST threats in a number of forms have made headlines in Nelson Mandela Bay over more than a decade.

After years of speculation about an alleged Islamic paramilitary training camp being operated on the outskirts of Port Elizabeth, spy cables released by an international news channel in February this year reinforced the claims.

Quoting an Iranian intelligence report, the cable pointed to alleged training facilities for Pakistani citizens in the Port Elizabeth region which were established to support Muslims globally in their fight against the West.

In the mid-90s, Port Elizabeth was used as a base for the controversial and well-armed militant group, People Against Drugs and Violence (Padav), which was associated with the equally controversial Cape Townbased People Against Gangsterism and Drugs (Pagad).

Also during the 90s, a well-known Port Elizabeth Muslim cleric was interrogated and jailed in Bangladesh for allegedly funding Osama bin Laden’s al-Qaeda organisation.

He was later released from prison and returned to the Bay. The same cleric had also been linked by the CIA to Padav.

In March this year, unconfirmed reports claimed a Port Elizabeth family had sold their home and left for Syria to join and support terror group Islamic State.