A SYDNEY magistrate has committed a former Qantas baggage handler to stand trial on a terrorist charge. Central Local Court Magistrate Michael Price today committed Bilal Khazal to stand trial on a charge of knowingly collecting or making documents connected with terrorism.Crown Prosecutor Geoffrey Bellew told the court during the committal hearing that Khazal had compiled a terrorist manual by collecting articles he found on the internet. But Khazal's counsel, Murugan Thangarajm, said during the hearing that the book was only about terrorism and his client did not instruct people to commit terrorist acts. He also said Khazal had only written a couple of pages, and the rest was readily available on the internet.
But Mr Price today committed the 35-year-old to stand trial, saying there was a reasonable prospect of conviction. "I find there is a reasonable prospect that a reasonable jury properly instructed will convict you of this indictable offence and you are committed to stand your trial in the Supreme Court," he told the court. Khazal will be arraigned on that charge in the Supreme Court on July 1. He is still to face a committal hearing on a further charge of inciting another person to commit a terrorist act.