Jihad stopped in its tracks

[William of the White Hand]

It's difficult to know what is going on here. If these people are as dangerous as claimed why have two already been released? I'm no friend of Muslims but somethings not right in the state of Denmark.

Aussie jihad stopped in its tracks

* By Larissa Cummings
* From: The Daily Telegraph
* October 17, 2009 12:00AM

FIVE would-be jihadists found guilty of conspiring to plan a devastating terrorist attack in Sydney face the prospect of life behind bars - but two fellow plotters have already walked free from prison.

Two of the men pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of knowingly possessing items connected with the preparation of a terrorist act.

With time already served since their arrest in November 2005, one of the men was released on parole in May, while the other was freed on Thursday.

The men were named as co-conspirators in the 10-month trial of their five friends. None of the men can be named online.

Police yesterday revealed the $37.2 million cost of the operation, the landmark joint investigation between ASIO and Australian Federal Police that netted the terror nine in a series of co-ordinated dawn raids on November 8, 2005.

After one of the longest and most expensive criminal trials in NSW history, five men were found guilty by a jury yesterday of conspiring to do acts in preparation for a terrorist act or acts.

The men, all devout Muslims, now face possible maximum sentences of life imprisonment for entering into an agreement to wage violent jihad on Australian soil, said to have been motivated by the Howard government's military committment to US wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Between them, the men also had instructional material for how to mix explosive chemicals and how to assemble and detonate bombs.

NSW Police Commissioner Andrew Scipioni yesterday stressed the importance of continuing to fund anti-terrorism efforts.

"I can not stress strongly enough that complacency in this sort of area is a terrorist's best friend," he said.

More than 400 NSW Police officers and 250 AFP, ASIO and NSW Crime Commission officers were attached to the counter-terrorism operation.

Outside court, the ringleader's sister criticised ASIO.

"ASIO are extreme. They go to depths. They want to get to the bottom of it. They want to find their answer," she said.

"We want to find our answers. I know my answer - my answer is I know my brother is innocent."

The nephew of the conspiracy ringleader said his uncle was innocent and said his uncle's possession of guns was to hunt deer in bushland near Goulburn.

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/ne...ed-in-its-tracks/story-e6freuy9-1225787707989

 

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Five Sydney terrorists jailed

Five Sydney men convicted of terrorism-related offences have been sentenced to maximum sentences ranging from 23 to 28 years in prison.

Justice Anthony Whealy, who presided over a trial that began in November 2008, said in the Supreme Court at Parramatta that the offence of conspiring to commit an act in preparation for a terrorist act or acts was higher on the scale of criminality.

He said today that he was satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that each of the offenders had intended that the end result of their actions would be serious damage to property, carrying with it the risk of death or injury to the public.

The men are not allowed to be named for legal reasons.

The first man, 44, regarded as the principal organiser of the conspiracy, was sentenced to a maximum term of 28 years in prison, commencing on November 8, 2005, when he was arrested, with a non-parole period of 21 years.

The second man 36, was sentenced to 27 years in prison from the time of his arrest in 2005, with a non-parole period of 20 years and three months.

The third man, 40, was sentenced to 20 years in prison from the time of his arrest in 2005, with a non-parole period of 19 years and six months.

The fourth man, 34, was also sentenced to 26 years in prison from the time of his arrest in 2005, with a non-parole period also of 19 years and six months.

The fifth man, 25, who entered the conspiracy later than the others and was not arrested until September 21, 2006, received a term of 23 years, backdated to the time of his arrest with a non-parole period of 17 years and three months.

The five men were among nine people arrested in a huge police and ASIO crackdown in 2005 and 2006.

Of those, four have pleaded guilty to lesser offences and have been dealt with.

The five who elected to go on trial pleaded not guilty and were convicted on October 16 last year.