There is also a trial on in Melbourne. Has it finished yet?

Terror trial told of videos and jihad books

http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,27574,24643808-5006009,00.html

VIDEOS of "infidels" being executed and literature urging Muslims to become suicide bombers in the name of Allah were allegedly found in the homes of five Sydney men accused of plotting to carry out a terrorist attack, a court has heard.

Mohamed Ali Elomar, Khaled and Moustafa Cheikho, Abdul Rakib Hasan and Mohammed Omar Jamal have pleaded not guilty in the Supreme Court to conspiring to do acts in preparation for a terrorist attack.

Crown prosecutor Richard Maidment SC yesterday led the jury through material - allegedly supporting violent jihad, including messages from Osama Bin Laden and articles glorifying suicide bombers - seized by police from the men's homes in November 2005.

Extremist literature recovered from the men's homes in southwest Sydney also named Jews, Americans and any "kufr", or non-believers, as "enemies of Islam."

Iraq war 'inspired local jihad'

Two articles, "Join the caravan" and "The defence of Muslim Lands" by Sheikh Abdullah Azzam - who is credited with reviving the concept of violent jihad in the 20th century - urged Muslims to become martyrs for their religion to enter "paradise".

An audio recording of a lecture in support of the 2004 Al-Qaeda bombing of a Madrid train station which killed 190 people and injured thousands was also allegedly recovered from the homes of the Cheikho brothers and three alleged co-conspirators.

Other material allegedly stated it was permitted for Muslims to kill women and children "if they were in the way" of the pursuit of violent jihad.

Mr Maidment said video showing the gruesome executions of Russian, Hindu and Christian "infidels" was also found on computers and CDs, along with songs and poetry supporting their alleged fundamentalist cause.

While the Crown could not prove that the accused men read, watched or listened to any of the material, Mr Maidment said there was evidence to show it had been shared between them.

"This wasn't a group of people who were just interested in looking at the Islamic religion as a broad concept," Mr Maidment said.

"They selected the items because they intended on pursuing violent jihad themselves . . . and they acquired materials which were likely to de-sensitise them to a point it prepared them as a unit to carry out operations as described."

Justice Anthony Whealy urged the jury not to speculate on the reasons why four other men alleged to be co-conspirators were not being tried alongside the five accused.

"You should not speculate at all as to why the other four men are not appearing as the accused in this trial," Mr Whealy said.

"There may be many reasons for it, and good reasons at that. The fact is that each of the accused is alleged to have conspired with these (four) men and that is all you need to know."

The trial continues.

Sprintcyclist wrote on Nov 13^th, 2008 at 10:42pm:

Sprintcyclist wrote on Nov 13^th, 2008 at 10:42pm:

collective punishment, ei? well isn't that what the Bali bombers believed in as well?

Phillip wrote on Nov 13^th, 2008 at 11:27pm:


The criminals believed in murdering innocent people. Is it the same thing according to Koran?

Sprintcyclist wrote on Nov 13^th, 2008 at 11:37pm:


I disagree. Bali bombers were criminal thugs according any law.

tallowood wrote on Nov 13^th, 2008 at 11:33pm:

since you mentioned the QURAN, here are the relevent verses

"no man bears the burden of another"
"To kill one man unjustly is like to kill all of humanity and to save one is like to save all humankind."

Dunno what the Bali bombers believed in, never met them, never going to meet them, in this life anyways. So now about the collective punishment...

Phillip wrote on Nov 14^th, 2008 at 12:24am:


So why did you bring BBs into argument?
As for collective punishment ...... what punishment? If you mean costs then why collectively punish Australian taxpayers?