The case against alleged al-Qaeda terrorist Jack "Jihad" Thomas has collapsed after a damning confession he made has been found to be inadmissible. It is believed the 42-page confession, considered to be one of Australia’s most important intelligence documents, mentions plans to set up a terrorist cell in Melbourne. Mr Thomas made the alleged confession to federal police while in custody in Pakistan this year. Federal police flew to Pakistan to interview Mr Thomas about two months after his arrest. He was cautioned, warned, and the interview was taped according to Australian law, but his request for a lawyer to be present during the interrogation was denied.
It is believed that Mr Thomas, a Melbourne taxi driver, told police he had been recruited by al-Qaeda and was assigned to return to Australia to set up a sleeper cell and scout for possible terrorist targets. Police have asked lawyers from the office of the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions if the statement could be used in an Australian court. The DPP’s advice was it would be deemed inadmissible. Sources said defence lawyers would have successfully argued that Mr Thomas’s confession was gathered under duress. They could claim he was prepared to say anything to ensure he was allowed to return to Australia. But federal sources say several of Mr Thomas’s claims have been independently corroborated by Pakistani authorities. Mr Thomas, a Muslim convert, was arrested in Pakistan in January and held for five months without being charged. It is believed he was targeted after US authorities were told that he was seen at an al-Qaeda training camp. He was arrested during a raid on a suspected terrorist safe-house in Pakistan and was found carrying a falsified passport. |