Posted on 11/05/2009 5:10:36 PM PST by naturalman1975
TONY JONES, PRESENTER: In Melbourne, four of the five men accused of planning an attack on the Holsworthy Army Base have been committed to stand trial.
The men are accused of having links to the Somali group Al-Shabaab. Police do not claim the men had obtained any weapons for the alleged attack, but authorities claim the men planned to die while killing as many soldiers as they could.
The four men have pleaded not guilty to conspiring to prepare for a terrorist attack.
Rafael Epstein has this report.
RAFAEL EPSTEIN, REPORTER: In August, the men were arrested and accused of planning to attack the Army base at Holsworthy. Now the full police case against them could be heard as soon as Easter.
Lawyers for four of the five accused men told the court they wanted to skip over their committal hearing and go straight to trial in the Victorian Supreme Court.
People from the Somali community were in court today, as the accused men pleaded not guilty to the charge of conspiring to do acts in preparation for a terrorist act.
In March, 26-year-old Saney Aweys was allegedly recorded referring to Victoria's Black Saturday bushfires, saying, " ... fires broke out in the whole country and all were happy ... by Allah, they are coming down, these filthy people."
Police say Aweys discussed Australians going to Somalia. The police statement of facts claims he was recorded saying he has, "... boys lined up and itching to go, always asking him when they can go."
In a phone call to Somalia, police allege Aweys, "... talks about the men having access or being able to acquire weapons such as guns/rifles and they want to enter a military/forces barracks ..., " in Melbourne.
Police transcripts allege Aweys said, "... the infidels - their forces are cast (scattered) in the lands of Islam ... They are casted from Afghanistan up to Iraq, they are massacring and doing no favour to anyone."
After his arrest, police say Aweys told them if a terrorist incident was happening in Australia, he'd stop it and report it.
The police evidence released today includes CCTV vision of 33-year-old Wissam Fattal near the Holsworthy Army Base. Police say he was recorded saying, "... it's something that's very easy ... there is work and for one to do business, it's good."
He was arrested on the day this footage was taken over an unrelated charge.
In another conversation, police say Fattal was recorded saying, "... the present world doesn't mean anything to me. At the end there is the afterlife and all I want is to please Allah."
Police claim the men have links with the Al-Shabaab group in Somalia and were looking for a fatwa - religious sanction - from a cleric in Somalia approving a terrorist act in Australia.
The men's lawyers opposed details of the police allegations being made public, but the media successfully challenged the suppression bid.
The fifth accused man, 25-year-old Nayef El Sayed, has not entered a plea. He'll face the Magistrates Court again next month.
My condolences to Americans.
It’s a good thing you Aussies got these dangerous clowns off the street. A good, long spell in gaol ought to do them the world of good. And then deport their arse straight back to whatever hell-hole they came from (Somalia, isn’t it?) once they’ve completed their punitive sentence.
They do not deserve to live in Australia.
bump
Thank you for your condolences for those that died at Ft. Hood today.
Our sympathy goes out to your Country as well for the terrorists that are determined to bring down a great democracy.
It is my humble opinion that these military base terrorist acts are not coincidental. God Bless every man and woman defending our Countries against these animals.
One last word, right now I’d rather be in Australia than the USA. Your Government has the guts to tell it like it is and to take bold actions to defend your citizens.
Our current Government cares more about the rights of the Terrorists than defending the citizens of the United States of America!
God Be With Us All.
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