Milanda Rout | October 14, 2008
A MELBOURNE Muslim convert accepted a one-way ticket home to Australia and $US3500 from terrorist group al-Qa'ida, a court has been told.
A Victorian Supreme Court jury has heard Joseph Thomas knowingly took the airline ticket and cash from al-Qa'ida while trying to get out of Pakistan.
The court heard Mr Thomas recounted this to ABC journalist Sally Neighbour during two interviews he did with her in 2005.
The 36-year-old has pleaded not guilty to one charge of intentionally receiving funds from a terrorist organisation and another charge of having a falsified passport.
“Most of the evidence you will here in this case will come from Mr Thomas himself speaking to the ABC,” Crown Prosecutor Nicholas Robinson, SC, told the jury in his opening address.
The court today heard that Mr Thomas was a Muslim convert who had headed to Afghanistan in 2000 to help the Taliban in their civil war with the Northern Alliance.
“He felt he had an obligation to assist other Muslims make a Muslim state in Afghanistan,” Mr Robinson said.
He said Mr Thomas trained in Taliban military camp in Afghanistan where he came into “close proximity” with senior figures of al-Qa'ida, including Osama bin Laden.
The court heard that after the terrorist attacks on New York in 2001, Mr Thomas wanted to go home because he believed it was unsafe.
Mr Robinson said it was between November 2002 and January 2003 in Pakistan that Mr Thomas was asked to carry out work for al-Qa'ida in Australia and was given $US3500 cash and a one-way ticket home.
“The accused did not accept any offer to work in Australia,” he said. “He did however, accept money and tickets and did accept the passport ... because he was desperate to get home.”
Mr Robinson said the Crown fully accepted that Mr Thomas declined to work as an operative in Australia for al-Qai'da.
Counsel acting for Mr Thomas, Jim Kennan, warned the jury that the Crown case was one of “guilt by association”. He said there was no evidence to suggest the tickets and the cash had come from al-Qaida.
He also told the court that Mr Thomas was “naive” when he went to Afghanistan to help fight for the Taliban and it was completely different world prior to the September 11 attacks.
“It was very naive and potentially ill-advised thing to do, but it was not an offence,” Mr Kennan said.
A MELBOURNE Muslim convert accepted a one-way ticket home to Australia and $US3500 from terrorist group al-Qa'ida, a court has been told.
A Victorian Supreme Court jury has heard Joseph Thomas knowingly took the airline ticket and cash from al-Qa'ida while trying to get out of Pakistan.
The court heard Mr Thomas recounted this to ABC journalist Sally Neighbour during two interviews he did with her in 2005.
The 36-year-old has pleaded not guilty to one charge of intentionally receiving funds from a terrorist organisation and another charge of having a falsified passport.
“Most of the evidence you will here in this case will come from Mr Thomas himself speaking to the ABC,” Crown Prosecutor Nicholas Robinson, SC, told the jury in his opening address.
The court today heard that Mr Thomas was a Muslim convert who had headed to Afghanistan in 2000 to help the Taliban in their civil war with the Northern Alliance.
“He felt he had an obligation to assist other Muslims make a Muslim state in Afghanistan,” Mr Robinson said.
He said Mr Thomas trained in Taliban military camp in Afghanistan where he came into “close proximity” with senior figures of al-Qa'ida, including Osama bin Laden.
The court heard that after the terrorist attacks on New York in 2001, Mr Thomas wanted to go home because he believed it was unsafe.
Mr Robinson said it was between November 2002 and January 2003 in Pakistan that Mr Thomas was asked to carry out work for al-Qa'ida in Australia and was given $US3500 cash and a one-way ticket home.
“The accused did not accept any offer to work in Australia,” he said. “He did however, accept money and tickets and did accept the passport ... because he was desperate to get home.”
Mr Robinson said the Crown fully accepted that Mr Thomas declined to work as an operative in Australia for al-Qai'da.
Counsel acting for Mr Thomas, Jim Kennan, warned the jury that the Crown case was one of “guilt by association”. He said there was no evidence to suggest the tickets and the cash had come from al-Qaida.
He also told the court that Mr Thomas was “naive” when he went to Afghanistan to help fight for the Taliban and it was completely different world prior to the September 11 attacks.
“It was very naive and potentially ill-advised thing to do, but it was not an offence,” Mr Kennan said.
Source: The Austalian
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