Rodney Saunders: South Africa identifies body of missing horticulturalist

Rodney Saunders body was found by fishermen in February

South African police have identified the body of a British horticulturalist who was kidnapped with his wife in a case with suspected links to the Islamic State group (IS).

Rodney Saunders, 73, and his wife Rachel, 63, disappeared while looking for rare seeds in KwaZulu-Natal province in February.

The body was discovered days later in a river. Rachel has not been found.

The news came as the four alleged kidnappers appeared in a Durban court.

The British Foreign Office has confirmed the positive identification of Rodney Saunders. The couple have dual South African and British citizenship.

"We are saddened to learn of the death of a South African-British national, and offer our sympathies to their family at this deeply upsetting time," a Foreign Office spokeswoman said in a statement to the BBC.

"We are working closely with the South African authorities on their investigation, and continue to offer consular support to the family."

South African police said that "a dedicated team remain on the ground for the search of Rachel". Authorities are checking mortuaries and doing forensic and DNA tests.

Suspects Fatima Patel, 27, and Saffydeen Aslam del Vecchio, 38, were arrested on 16 February, one day before the body was found. Before the arrest, they were both under police surveillance and are alleged to have hoisted an IS flag in the reserve where the couple disappeared.

Read more:

• The rise and fall of 'Islamic State'

• The mystery of the horticulturalists missing in South Africa

• ‘Islamic State’ around the world

Another suspect, Themba Xulu, 19, was arrested after being found in possession of the victims' mobile phones. The fourth suspect is a 36-year-old Malawian, Ahmad Mussa.

The BBC has declined to comment on reports that, shortly before they were kidnapped, the Saunders had been working with a film crew from the television programme Gardeners' World.

After the couple's disappearance, their car was found with blood marks and 734,000 rand (£42,000) was reportedly drained from their bank accounts.

There have been no known attacks by IS, or any other jihadist group, in South Africa.

The most prominent case ever linked to IS in the country involved the Thulsie twins, Brandon-Lee and Tony-Lee. They were arrested during raids in 2016 that also saw Fatima Patel detained - though she was not charged at the time.

The twins are expected to face trial on terrorism charges related to alleged plans to attack the US embassy in South Africa and Jewish targets.

The Saunders' disappearance led the British Foreign Office to update its warning about the threat of a terrorist attack in the country, which upset many South Africans.