Seven Vic terrorists sent to jail

February 3, 2009, 4:08 pm

Australia's first convicted terrorist leader has been jailed for at least 12 years.

Abdul Nacer Benbrika, who led a Melbourne terror cell that talked about attacking city landmarks and killing women and children, was sentenced in the Victorian Supreme Court on Tuesday.

Six of his followers from Melbourne's northern and western suburbs also received prison terms.
Justice Bernard Bongiorno told the court that Benbrika, 48, of the Melbourne suburb of Dallas, had not renounced his beliefs.

"All the evidence points to the conclusion that he maintains his position with respect to violent jihad," he said.
Justice Bongiorno said terrorist acts in modern times were carried out by unskilled fanatics like Benbrika and there was a need to protect society from criminals of his type.

Benbrika, a father of seven, was sentenced to a total of 27 years on three charges, including 15 years for intentionally directing the activities of a terrorist organisation.

He was sentenced to seven years for intentionally being a member of a terrorist organisation and five years for possessing a CD connected with the preparation of a terrorist act.

He will serve the terms concurrently.

In a sentencing that lasted more than two hours, Justice Bongiorno also said many of Benbrika's followers had not renounced the group's extremist beliefs.

Aimen Joud, 24, of Hoppers Crossing, has been jailed for a minimum of seven-and-a-half years.

Abdullah Merhi, 23, of Fawkner, must serve a minimum of four years in prison.

Ahmed Raad, 25, of Fawkner, will be required to serve a minimum of seven-and-a-half years.

Amer Haddara, 29, of Yarraville, was sentenced to a minimum of four-and-a-half years.

Fadl Sayadi, 29, of Coburg, was sentenced to a minimum of six years prison and Ezzit Raad, 27, from Preston, must serve five years and nine months.

Justice Bongiorno said the group often referred to themselves as Mujahideen and talked about destroying buildings and killing infidels.

Benbrika and his followers were found guilty in September 2008 after a trial which lasted eight months.
Joud, convicted on four terror charges, was regarded as the heir apparent to Benbrika, had showed an impatience that the group was not progressing in its aim of jihad more quickly.

"Joud undoubtedly took a leadership role," Justice Bongiorno said.

"There is no evidence before the court that he has abandoned his belief in violent jihad ... there is no evidence at all that he has resiled from being a would-be terrorist."

Joud was convicted on providing resources and making funds available to a terrorist organisation, being a member of a terrorist organisation and possessing a CD connected with the preparation of a terrorist act.

The men had been in custody since November 2005 when they were arrested during raids in Melbourne's northern and western suburbs.

The trial heard from more than 50 witnesses and was played thousands of hours of listening device material and telephone intercepts.

Jurors heard Benbrika had told his followers it was "permissible to kill women, children and the aged" and that the group needed to kill at least 1,000 non-believers to make the Australian government withdraw soldiers from Iraq and Afghanistan .

Sayadi was an organiser in the group and gave advice on how to access jihadi websites, the court heard.

The judge said Sayadi has not in any way moderated or changed his extremist views.

Justice Bongiorno also said letters tendered on behalf of Merhi that demonstrated he was now opposed to killing innocent people could not be accepted because they were not properly tested by him giving evidence.
Ahmed Raad, who turned to Benbrika's religious instruction after the death of his brother, was effectively the treasurer of the group, the court heard.

Justice Bongiorno accepted that Ezzit Raad was less involved than other members of the group.

Haddara was only convicted of being a member of the organisation.

Justice Bongiorno said the evidence of a plot to blow up the MCG would not be taken into account because the man who gave the evidence, Izzydeen Atik, was a liar and a fraudster.

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