A 23-year-old man was arrested in Midrand on Wednesday for allegedly plotting to assassinate officials perceived as state capture beneficiaries, the Hawks have said in a statement.

The Hawks in October last year intercepted communication material of possible assassinations which were being planned where various members of Cabinet, state-owned entities and prominent South Africans were listed as targets, the statement reads.

According to the Hawks, the suspect is a founding member of the Anti-State Capture Death Squad Alliance (ASCDSA) and he was arrested “while he was busy explaining to donors how the assassination of state capture beneficiaries was going to be carried out by the undercover coup plot snipers”.

Nineteen individuals were targeted and their names will only be divulged in court, the Hawks said.

The communication intercepted by the investigators included various letters which were sent to selected companies to donate money, R140 million in total, to fund the alleged clandestine operation, the statement reads.

The suspect is expected to appear in the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court on Friday. He will be charged with conspiracy to commit murder and other charges. The Hawks will oppose bail to allow further investigation, the statement reads.

During the ongoing investigation another group, the Anti-White Monopoly Capitalists Regime (AWMCG) surfaced which necessitated a two-prong investigation approach, the Hawks said.

“It was discovered that the AWMCG used the same modus operandi soliciting donations in order to assassinate senior government officials and other South African citizens. Four individuals were allegedly targeted for this operation and their names will also be revealed in court.”

A search was conducted at the suspects’ home and evidentiary proof was confiscated for further investigations.