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| Down Under |
| Muslim preacher arrested in Aussie terror crackdown |
| 2005-11-08 |
A MUSLIM preacher arrested in today's anti-terror swoop was one of four men whose houses in Melbourne was raided by ASIO earlier this year. Abdul Nacer Benbrika was one of nine men charged in Melbourne today with being a member of a terrorist organisation between July 2004 and November 2005. Benbrika, 45, also has been charged with directing the activities of a terrorist organisation. He was remanded in custody to reappear in the Melbourne Magistrates Court on January 31. His home and the home of co-accused Fadal Sayadi, 25, were two of four raided in a joint operation conducted by ASIO and federal and Victoria Police in June. Benbrika, also known as Abu Bakr, is a follower of the radical Melbourne-based cleric Sheik Mohammed Omran. Benbrika is a dual Algerian and Australian citizen who arrived in Australia in 1989. He was once declared an unlawful non-citizen after overstaying his visa but married a Lebanese-born Australian woman, with whom he now has six children. Benbrika, who has previously denied any involvement in terrorist activities, rose to national prominence in August this year when he declared his support for al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden. He told ABC Radio: "Osama bin Laden, he is a great man. "Osama bin Laden was a great man before 11 September, which they said he did it, until now nobody knows who did it." Mr Benbrika defended Muslims fighting against coalition forces in Iraq and Afghanistan and said anyone who fought in the name of Allah would be forgiven their sins. "According to my religion, jihad is a part of my religion and what you have to understand (is) that anyone who fights for the sake of Allah, when he dies, the first drop of blood that comes from him out all his sin will be forgiven," he said. Last week criminal lawyer Rob Stary said he expected four men that were the targets of the June raids, including Benbrika, to be among the first people to be placed under federal control or preventive detention orders. |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |
| #1 I will never take it for granted, when someone says I think "Osama bin Laden, he is a great man." Exposed for what he really is! |
| Posted by: Cruth Gling1260 2005-11-08 08:33 |