DAVID Hicks trained with al-Qaeda in Afghanistan and described Osama bin Laden as a brother — and yet Opposition Leader Bill Shorten labelled what he did as “foolish” and said he suffered an “injustice”.


 
With the terror alert at its highest level, Mr Shorten leapt to the defence of the man who former PM John Howard yesterday declared “revelled in jihad”.

Mr Shorten’s comments were also slammed by Liberal MP Andrew Nikolic, who served as a brigadier in the Australian Army in Afghanistan.

“I am appalled by Mr Hicks’ ­actions,’’ he said. “I am also troubled by the failure of the Leader of the ­Opposition to call him out on it.”

Mr Shorten said yesterday: “David Hicks was probably foolish to get caught up in that Afghanistan ­conflict, but clearly there has been an ­injustice done to him.”

Mr Nikolic, who served as a ­brigadier in the army, said: “By his own admission, David Hicks trained and fought with Islamic terrorists such as al-Qaeda in Afghanistan.

“Why is Bill Shorten giving ­succour to David Hicks as someone who he says was merely ‘foolish’ to get ‘caught up’, as if he was some ­wide-eyed innocent abroad rather than a trained terrorist?”



Mr Shorten’s comments came after a US military court quashed a ­terrorism conviction against Mr Hicks on a technicality because his ­actions were not a crime under US or Australian law at the time.

When asked if Mr Hicks was due an apology, Prime Minister Tony Abbott said he would not apologise for doing “what was needed”. He said Mr Hicks “was up to no good on his own admission”.

Attorney-General George Brandis said Mr Hick’s actions would today “fall within the scope” of terror laws.

Mr Hicks was detained in US ­detention camp Guantánamo Bay in Cuba from 2001 until 2007 and was convicted of supporting terrorism.

Liberal backbenchers pounced on Mr Shorten’s comments, prompting him to clarify his view late yesterday.

“There’s no doubt Mr Hicks was associating with known terrorists, and that’s absolutely deplorable,’’ he said.

Mr Howard, prime minister at the time Mr Hicks was held in Guantánamo Bay, said the US decision to quash the conviction did not alter the fact Mr Hicks was involved with al-Qaeda.

“The US verdict is about the legal process in that country,’’ a spokesman for Mr Howard said in a statement. “Nothing alters the fact that by his own admission, Hicks trained with ­al-Qaeda, met Osama bin Laden on ­several occasions describing him as a brother. He revelled in jihad. He is not owed an apology by any ­Australian government.’’

Asked yesterday why he was in ­Afghanistan Mr Hicks replied: ­“Having a holiday.”

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/anger-as-bill-shorten-claims-injustice...

5 years in Guatanamo Bay for a crime he didn’t commit.
.
That pick with the bazooka—Hicks was fighting with the Bosnian army at the time.

Try reading something besides that propaganda rag.

The US now admit that he committed no crime and quashed his conviction, Australia always said that he had committed no crime that he could be charged with and he was imprisoned for about 9 years, 7 without a charge or trial.

Quote:


Australia first listed Al-Qaeda as a terrorist organisation in 2002. Hicks was in GTMO in 2001.

Hick's case proves being Australian means your a second class citizen. Americans and UKians were not sent to the Gitmo Gulag, because their governments protected then.

If we can't trust our government then we all require a Bill of Rights to protect us.

You lefties are unbelievable. He wasn't there to visit Club 'Stan. He admitted to training and fighting with these terrorist groups. If he hadn't been caught when he was, there's every chance he could have gone on to kill Australian soldiers and might still be fighting in Afghanistan if he survived long enough. Why is something so simple so difficult for you idiots to comprehend?

Armchair_Politician wrote on Feb 20^th, 2015 at 6:47am:

You know, George W Bush is technically a war criminal, which is why overseas travel for him (and a number of his cabinet and advisers) is technically a risk. That would make the Australian government of the day 'technically guilty' of offering material assistance to a war criminal.

Armchair_Politician wrote on Feb 20^th, 2015 at 6:15am:

gweg doesnt think referring to Osama as a brother..is a crime...at the time he was the Wests most wanted man.. but dont let that get in the way of evil