The indictment against the suspect for arson in which parts of the South African parliament were destroyed was expanded today by the charge of terrorism.
That new charge was added at a hearing in Cape Town scheduled to determine the bail of suspect Zandile Mafe (49).
In that process, Mafe was previously accused of burglary, theft, arson and possession of an explosive device.
Parts of Cape Town's 130-year-old parliament complex were destroyed in a major fire on January 2. Firefighters needed four days to completely extinguish the fire.
The fire destroyed the main hall where the parliament of South Africa sits, and other buildings in the complex suffered significant damage.
No one was injured in the fire because the parliament was closed due to a holiday.
The extent of the fire and damage immediately raised the question of whether it was a deliberate attack.
Mafe, who was described as homeless in his first court appearance, was arrested at the scene on the day of the fire, when an explosive device was found in his possession.
His family has denied rumors that he received military training in Russia, which have spread on the Internet.
Mafe has denied the accusations, and his lawyer claims that the authorities are using him as a scapegoat to cover up failures in parliament's security.
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