before the raids. (So the terrorists would have enough time to leave)
HATE-filled messages on a Muslim website claim an alleged plot to attack an Australian army base would have been justified.
And Somali community leaders have branded police as terrorists in the wake of this week's anti-terror swoop.
Abdurahman Osman, a leader of Melbourne's 15,000 strong Somali community, said police acted unreasonably.
"What do you call waking people up at four in the morning with guns?" he said.
"It is the police themselves that are the terrorists.
"They had 400 police and 19 raids, but they did not find anything. No guns, no ammunition, nothing.
"Now we have our kids being called terrorists at school."
Mr Osman's outburst came as a prominent Muslim website featured a photograph of Australian soldiers in uniform with the caption: "Real Australian terrorists."
It also features a photograph of Prime Minister Kevin Rudd addressing Australian troops overseas with the caption: "Terrorist mastermind delivers sermon to impressionable followers."
"Mohammed" said on the website: "Why is it called terrorist attack when the Aussie troops have been raping, killing innocent Muslims for years?
"In this country we can't trust nobody. The Australian Government is corrupted."
One posting suggested Australian soldiers were an appropriate target for the alleged Melbourne terrorist cell.
"More than a million innocent civilians have died as an outcome of the war on terror that our soldiers are involved in," Aussie-Muslim Tazza said.
Mr Osman, until now a voice of moderation between Somalis and the wider community, said police should have consulted migrant leaders.
"The federal police could have come to us first and we could have helped them," Mr Osman said.
"We have met with them now, but we don't believe they have evidence of a terrorist plot and that is the feeling of the community."
Other Somalis accused Australian authorities of bigotry.
"As a Somali-born Australian I am outraged at these raids not only because my fellow Somalis are being targeted, but once again basic human rights are being violated," said Xamxam, a 21-year-old Sunshine woman who knows the family of accused terrorist Nayef El Sayed.
"If there was strong evidence against him, I would back up the police."
Abdullahi Ahmed, a salesman who has lived in Australian for almost 30 years, said he knew accused terrorist Saney Aweys.
He said Mr Aweys was a road worker and a dedicated family man.
"He was married only about a week ago. His family are here," Mr Ahmed said.
Mr Ahmed said Somalis in Australia would petition US President Barack Obama to stop the war in Afghanistan.
"There are innocent people being killed there. The Americans and the Australians are the ones making terror."
with Mark Dunn and Keith Moor
Source: Herald Sun
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