Kemi Seba to remain in detention in South Africa
Prominent pan-African and anti-Western activist Kemi Seba, arrested in South Africa, will remain in detention after a court postponed his bail hearing on Wednesday.
Seba, born in France to parents from Benin, was arrested earlier this month and is wanted in Benin on charges of inciting rebellion after backing a foiled coup in December.
Seba appeared in a Pretoria court, where the prosecution argued against his bail application, accusing him of planning "terror attacks in Europe."
His lawyer denied the accusations, saying: "an atmosphere is being created about how dangerous the man is."
Seba was arrested on 13 April alongside his 18-year-old son and Francois van der Merwe, the leader of the Afrikaner nationalist group Bittereinders, during an undercover police operation.
Van der Merwe was said to have contracted a security company to help the two men "cross the border illegally into Zimbabwe," according to a statement from investigators.
The pair were to finally fly to Europe.
"Application was made for two South African police officers to act as agents and to present themselves as the managers of the security company," investigators said.
During the arrest, police recovered more than R315 000, which investigators said was intended to pay smugglers.
Investigators have filed a request to South Africa's financial intelligence unit to trace funds that Van der Merwe was paid to assist Seba.
The bail hearing was postponed to 11 May.
Seba has filed an application for political asylum in South Africa, his current lawyer, Sinen Mnguni, confirmed.
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