Natalie O'Brien | September 11, 2008
A SYDNEY man was yesterday found guilty of making a "do-it-yourself terrorism guide" knowing it could be used to assist a terrorist act, becoming the second person to be convicted under Australia's tough anti-terror regime.
Belal Saadallah Khazaal, 38, of the western Sydney suburb of Lakemba, faces a maximum penalty of 15 years' jail for the offence of compiling the book, which contained an assassination hit-list including US President George W. Bush.
A NSW Supreme Court jury will today continue deliberations on a second charge against Khazaal of attempting to incite a terrorist act, but yesterday's verdict is the first time a person has been convicted of compiling a book knowing it could assist in a terrorist act.
The 110-page document listed various means of assassination, including letterbombs, booby-trapping cars, kidnappings, poisonings, attacking motorcades and shooting down planes.
Khazaal was arrested and charged in June 2004 over the publication on the internet of Provision on the Rules of Jihad - Short Judicial Rulings and Organisational Instructions for fighters and mujaheddin against infidels".
He was among the first people charged in Australia after the federal government introduced its tough new Terrorism Act in late 2003.
Khazaal's conviction follows that in June 2006 of Sydney architect Faheem Khalid Lodhi, the first person convicted under the new laws.
Lodhi, a Pakistani-born Australian citizen, was found guilty of three charges of planning bombings in 2003 to advance the cause of violent jihad.
The NSW Supreme Court heard that under the nom de plume Abu Mohamed Attawheedy, Khazaal put together into book form a compilation of articles written by other people that promoted violence against Christians, Jews and non-Muslims and then had it posted on the internet site www.almaqdese.com.
At the front of the book was a dedication to "all mujaheddin everywhere, all martyrs of Islam, prisoners languishing in the prisons of tyrants be it infidels, apostates or hypocrites, Christians, Jews, or infidels, idolater and apostate". It went on to say "may they be freed from the prisons of tyrants, the enemies of the people and religion."
And in the introduction to the book Abu Mohamed Attawheedy referred to the document as an "essay", saying he was requested to prepare to serve as a "reference to all brothers or small cells desiring to support this religion".
The jury was told that the first half of the book concentrated on religious teachings and rulings about jihad, while the rest of the book canvassed reasons, benefits and methods of assassinations. Among the countries on the hit list were Australia and the US.
The book contained references to previous successful terrorist attacks and to material from serious international terrorists including al-Qa'ida number 2, Ayman al-Zawahiri. It also included material that talked about how "small cells" could cause havoc and horror to the US and Jews alike.
In another section of the book discussing the "characteristics of the assassination team" it suggested that after three successful assassinations and a kidnapping, a team member "can be appointed to lead a cell".
US terrorism expert Evan Kohlmann described the book to the court as a do-it-yourself guide to terrorism aimed at people who didn't have Osama bin Laden's telephone number.
Dr Kohlmann said books like it - which urged readers to use their knowledge to avenge the enemies of al-Qa'ida - were quite rare.
He admitted there were no recipes in the book on how to make explosives but said the book contained the type of information that is "the exact type of lesson being taught to people in al-Qa'ida training camps.
"This material is of obvious value to anyone wanting to commit an illegal act of violence," he told the court.
He said if it was combined with an instructional book for bombmaking it would be a recipe for disaster.
"Mix the two and you have a cocktail for a terrorist attack."
Counsel for Khazaal, George Thomas, had told the court the book was compiled from material which was already in the public domain and his client did not write any of it with the exception of three paragraphs.
Mr Thomas also argued that the book did not have a "map on it with instructions to blow something up".
But the Crown had argued that Khazaal had given his personal endorsement to the book.
Crown prosecutor Peter Neil SC told the jury that Khazaal had wanted the book to be effective and he had taken careful steps in his selection and editing of the articles.
A SYDNEY man was yesterday found guilty of making a "do-it-yourself terrorism guide" knowing it could be used to assist a terrorist act, becoming the second person to be convicted under Australia's tough anti-terror regime.
Belal Saadallah Khazaal, 38, of the western Sydney suburb of Lakemba, faces a maximum penalty of 15 years' jail for the offence of compiling the book, which contained an assassination hit-list including US President George W. Bush.
A NSW Supreme Court jury will today continue deliberations on a second charge against Khazaal of attempting to incite a terrorist act, but yesterday's verdict is the first time a person has been convicted of compiling a book knowing it could assist in a terrorist act.
The 110-page document listed various means of assassination, including letterbombs, booby-trapping cars, kidnappings, poisonings, attacking motorcades and shooting down planes.
Khazaal was arrested and charged in June 2004 over the publication on the internet of Provision on the Rules of Jihad - Short Judicial Rulings and Organisational Instructions for fighters and mujaheddin against infidels".
He was among the first people charged in Australia after the federal government introduced its tough new Terrorism Act in late 2003.
Khazaal's conviction follows that in June 2006 of Sydney architect Faheem Khalid Lodhi, the first person convicted under the new laws.
Lodhi, a Pakistani-born Australian citizen, was found guilty of three charges of planning bombings in 2003 to advance the cause of violent jihad.
The NSW Supreme Court heard that under the nom de plume Abu Mohamed Attawheedy, Khazaal put together into book form a compilation of articles written by other people that promoted violence against Christians, Jews and non-Muslims and then had it posted on the internet site www.almaqdese.com.
At the front of the book was a dedication to "all mujaheddin everywhere, all martyrs of Islam, prisoners languishing in the prisons of tyrants be it infidels, apostates or hypocrites, Christians, Jews, or infidels, idolater and apostate". It went on to say "may they be freed from the prisons of tyrants, the enemies of the people and religion."
And in the introduction to the book Abu Mohamed Attawheedy referred to the document as an "essay", saying he was requested to prepare to serve as a "reference to all brothers or small cells desiring to support this religion".
The jury was told that the first half of the book concentrated on religious teachings and rulings about jihad, while the rest of the book canvassed reasons, benefits and methods of assassinations. Among the countries on the hit list were Australia and the US.
The book contained references to previous successful terrorist attacks and to material from serious international terrorists including al-Qa'ida number 2, Ayman al-Zawahiri. It also included material that talked about how "small cells" could cause havoc and horror to the US and Jews alike.
In another section of the book discussing the "characteristics of the assassination team" it suggested that after three successful assassinations and a kidnapping, a team member "can be appointed to lead a cell".
US terrorism expert Evan Kohlmann described the book to the court as a do-it-yourself guide to terrorism aimed at people who didn't have Osama bin Laden's telephone number.
Dr Kohlmann said books like it - which urged readers to use their knowledge to avenge the enemies of al-Qa'ida - were quite rare.
He admitted there were no recipes in the book on how to make explosives but said the book contained the type of information that is "the exact type of lesson being taught to people in al-Qa'ida training camps.
"This material is of obvious value to anyone wanting to commit an illegal act of violence," he told the court.
He said if it was combined with an instructional book for bombmaking it would be a recipe for disaster.
"Mix the two and you have a cocktail for a terrorist attack."
Counsel for Khazaal, George Thomas, had told the court the book was compiled from material which was already in the public domain and his client did not write any of it with the exception of three paragraphs.
Mr Thomas also argued that the book did not have a "map on it with instructions to blow something up".
But the Crown had argued that Khazaal had given his personal endorsement to the book.
Crown prosecutor Peter Neil SC told the jury that Khazaal had wanted the book to be effective and he had taken careful steps in his selection and editing of the articles.
Source: The Australian
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