A former cabin cleaner for Qantas imprisoned for writing a "do-it-yourself" terrorism jihad book could be released on bail within days.Belal Saadallah Khazaal, 42, has been behind bars since September 2008, after a provincial Supreme Court found him guilty of making a document between September 20 and October 28, 2003 connected with assistance in a terrorist act, knowing of that connection.
He was sentenced to at least nine years behind bars. But this month the NSW Court of Criminal Appeal allowed an appeal against his conviction, and ordered a retrial. The retrial will likely go ahead in the next six to nine months, Justice Michael Adams told the Supreme Court today.
Khazaal's lawyer, Charles Waterstreet, urged Justice Adams to release Khazaal on bail for now, given that he had previously complied with "the most onerous bail conditions the court had ever granted" from June 2004 until he was jailed in September 2008.
The attorney said, "He was not allowed to use the internet, he was not allowed to use the phone without notice, he was not allowed to leave the house except for prayers, he was not allowed to mix with anyone other than his family."
Nevertheless, he had obeyed the bail conditions and had appeared for his trial. "Very rarely do you have a case of very serious charges and a compliance with bail for several years," said Waterstreet.
He claimed that Khazaal had been jailed in under maximum security conditions that were "one level down from Guantanamo Bay", and that his children needed to be with their father.
Appearing with an interpreter, Khazaal's brother-in-law agreed to put up his house as surety that Khazaal would meet his bail conditions. Khazaal's two brothers also agreed they would each undertake to deposit $200,000 as surety.