Picture: Henk Kruger/African News Agency (ANA) Picture: Henk Kruger/African News Agency (ANA)
Cape Town - The son of one of two men killed in an attack on a Sunni mosque in Malmesbury detailed how he had fought with the knife-wielding assailant who attacked worshippers in a rage on Thursday. The attacker was shot and killed by police after resisting arrest and allegedly attacking an officer. Two people, including the mosque’s imam, were injured. The police’s bomb-disposal unit was called to check the contents in a bag left by the assailant.
The incident on the eve of Eid al-Fitr has left the small community reeling. It came almost a month after another deadly attack at a Durban Shia mosque at the start of Ramadaan. The Hawks have taken over the investigation of the latest incident, while the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) launched a probe into the killing of the suspect.
Faizal Bassa’s father, Ismaiel Ahmad Bassa, 72, was one of the worshippers inside the mosque next to their home in Nerina Street, performing i’tikaaf (seclusion in the mosque), when the Somali national attacked and killed him in his sleep. The 23-year-old said the attack occurred just after 3am, when he awoke to screams of the imam calling for help. “I rushed out because my father was inside. When I got there, I saw him inside, just lying there. "This man attacked me and as we fought, he stabbed me in the face, under my left eye, as I blocked. And as I turned, he stabbed me in the back,” he said.
His mother, Zainab Bassa, said the assailant first attacked her husband before turning to another worshipper, a Somali national, Ziyaad Hedick. “I am shocked but trying to stay strong as I don’t want to see anybody slaughtered in a mosque. My husband was a very strong person and said he could stand for the full 20 raka’t of Tarawih salaah (spiritual act of praying),” she said.
Community activist and family relative Imran Mukadam said: “This attack comes at the end of Ramadaan, while the attack on the Shia sect Imam Hussain Mosque in Verulam Durban came at the start. ‘‘While this appears to be an attempt to cause division within the Muslim community, as we see in other parts of the world, more than ever we are calling for unity and peace within our community.”
The Muslim Judicial Council (MJC) visited the family to convey their condolences. MJC secretary-general Shaykh Isgak Taliep said, on the information they received, the assailant looked “very disturbed and intent on creating mischief”. “He attacked the imam first and then murdered the members who came to his defence. ‘‘After he escaped from the masjied, some congregants gave chase, before police attempted to apprehend him. In a hostile attack on the police, he was killed,” he said.
The organisation has urged the public to allow the authorities to complete their investigations into the incident. Malmesbury police spokesperson Johnatan Filander said police arrived just after 3am, when the suspect was already outside the mosque.
“When officers arrived, they found that two male persons were injured and two males dead from their injuries. The suspect resisted arrest and attempted to get away, after which police cornered him on a piece of land not far from the mosque. The suspect attacked the officers, who first used rubber bullets to immobilise him. However, he continued to attack and an officer shot him with a 9mm pistol." Ipid spokesperson Moses Dlamini said the investigation continues.
dominic.adriaanse@inl.co.za