AN alleged home-grown terror group in Melbourne's suburbs who sought inspiration from al-Qa'ida planned to blow up football stadiums and train stations and talked of killing 1000 people, the Victorian Supreme Court was told yesterday. The court also heard that the group's leader and self-proclaimed Islamic cleric Abdul Nacer Benbrika believed such a terrorist attack on Australian soil, in the pursuit of Islamic jihad, was justified because Australia was "a land at war". "The kind of terrorist act contemplated by the organisation included a bombing attack where maximum damage and loss of life could be inflicted, such as at a football ground or a railway station," prosecutor Richard Maidment SC told the 15-member jury on the opening day of an expected nine-month trial of Mr Benbrika, 47, and 11 other Muslim men on a series of terrorism-related charges.
The 12 accused are appearing before judge Bernard Bongiorno, each facing a charge of being a member of a terrorist organisation. They have all pleaded not guilty to this charge and to other terrorism-related charges. Mr Maidment said telephone intercepts revealed Mr Benbrika, in conversation with another of the accused, believed a large-scale attack was necessary. "He told (co-accused Abdullah) Merhi that the group should 'not just kill one or two or three', they should 'do a big thing'," Mr Maidment said. Mr Merhi then said "Like Spain?", an apparent reference to the bombing attacks on train travellers in Spain in 2004 that left 191 people dead and about 2000 injured. "Then as the conversation went on, in reference to the presence of Australian troops in Iraq, Benbrika said to Mr Merhi: 'When we are in Australia, when we do something, they stop to send the troops. If you kill here a thousand, the Government is going to think, because if you get large numbers here, the Government will listen'," Mr Maidment said.
The court heard Mr Benbrika was prepared to sacrifice "women, children and the aged" in any act of violent jihad. He believed it to be "halal" (permitted under Islamic law) to seize the wealth and shed the blood of the kufar (infidels), which he believed included all people who did not believe in violent jihad.
Mr Benbrika, described as the hub of the group, was a keen follower of Osama bin Laden, the court heard. "The organisation drew inspiration from notorious terrorist attacks carried out in other parts of the world by al-Qa'ida and other terrorists organisations of similar ilk," Mr Maidment said. "Benbrika described Osama bin Laden as a great man and ridiculed those who expressed contrary views."
The crown's case against the 12 accused men depended largely on material gathered from recordings of intercepted telephone conversations and listening devices, Mr Maidment said.
The group became suspicious about being monitored. Mr Benbrika used at least 10 different mobile phones, with eight of those registered under false details. Mr Maidment said that during the course of the investigation, an undercover policeman attempted to infiltrate the group posing as a Turkish Muslim man interested in violent jihad. The undercover policeman, known as SIO39, professed a knowledge of explosives and talked particularly of ammonium nitrate. "Benbrika asks SIO39 to teach him how to make an explosive device using the explosive fertiliser, ammonium nitrate," Mr Maidment said. "Benbrika asked how much of that explosive would be required to destroy a house, and he was told 50 to 75kg. Benbrika then asked how much would be needed for a larger building. He was told 200 to 250kg. Benbrika immediately asked SIO39 if he could obtain up to 500kg of ammonium nitrate."
Mr Maidment said the overt interest in the group by police and ASIO played a "not insignificant role" in slowing down the group's plans to launch a terror attack. The court also heard Mr Benbrika justified illegal activities such as car rebirthing and credit card fraud under his version of the Islamic faith as legitimate activities to raise funds for violent jihad. The court heard that videos found in the possession of some of the accused included sniper shootings of US soldiers and speeches by bin Laden.
Fadal Sayadi, 27, of Coburg, Ahmed Raad, 24, of Fawkner, Aimen Joud, 22, of Hoppers Crossing, Abdullah Merhi, 22, of Fawkner, Amer Haddara, 27, of Yarraville, Shane Kent, 30, of Meadow Heights, Majed Raad, 23, of Coburg, Hany Taha, 32, of Hadfield, Shoue Hammoud, 27, of Hadfield, Bassam Raad, 25, of Brunswick, and Ezzit Raad, 25, of Preston, are all facing various terrorism-related charges.