A court has heard allegations that a Victorian man was asked to return to Australia as a sleeper for the terrorist group, Al Qaeda. A trial has begun for 32-year-old Joseph Terrence Thomas of Werribee who is charged with providing resources to and receiving funds from the Al Qaeda terrorist network between July 2002 and January 2003.The Supreme Court has been told he trained with Al Qaeda in at the Al Farooq camp in Afghanistan in mid-2001 and was in close quarters with Osama Bin Laden on three occasions. It is alleged he was present during conversations about terrorist acts, including a possible attack in Australia, and that he accepted a Qantas ticket and money from Al Qaeda after being told that Bin Laden wanted an Australian to carry out operations here.
The prosecutor has told the jury Mr Thomas later told police he did not agree to become an Al Qaeda sleeper.
Thomas's lawyer has told the Victorian Supreme Court his client may be naive and stupid, but he definitely was not a terrorist. He told the jury Thomas did accept a plane ticket and money to get home but all the other aspects of the charges would be heavily disputed.
| "My client is just a thief, really!" |