http://adcnd.blogspot.com/2007_05_01_archive.html
Terror accused refuse to stand for judge
NINE Sydney men who pleaded not guilty to conspiring to plan a terrorist bombing in Australia refused to stand before the bench when they appeared in court today.
The men, all of whom were arrested in an anti-terrorism sweep in November last year, are now likely to face a year-long trial beginning in February.
Omar Baladjam, Khaled Cheikho, Moustafa Cheikho, Mohamed Elomar, Abdul Rakib Hasan, Mohammad Omar Jamal, Mirsad Mulahalilovic, Khaled Sharrouf and Mazen Touma appeared before NSW Supreme Court judge Anthony Whealy today and pleaded not guilty to a charge of conspiring to plan a terrorist act.
The men broke with convention and did not stand before the judge as the charges against them were read out and their pleas received, with lawyer Adam Houda saying religious observances prevented them from doing so.
“The accused have a problem with standing up,” Mr Houda said, and added the men intended no disrespect to the court.
All of the nine wore beards and five wore traditional muslim islamic attire.
The chatted among themselves, and as they were led away from court some of them exchanged chants of “Allahuakbar” or “God is great” with their friends and supporters in the public gallery.
One of the men, Omar Baldajam, a former actor, sat with his arm in a sling. He was hospitalised during an alleged shoot-out with police during his arrest.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8309987.stm
Security officials carry out raids in Sydney in 2005
Five men have been found guilty in Sydney, Australia, of conspiring to commit terrorist attacks.
A jury deliberated for 23 days before convicting them on charges including possessing chemicals for explosives and instructions to make bombs.
The maximum sentence for the offences is life in prison.
Prosecutors said the men were arrested in raids on their homes in 2005 and planned to commit violence to alter Australia’s policy on the Middle East.
There were angry scenes outside the specially designed court in Parramatta as supporters of the convicted men scuffled with members of the press.
Paramilitary camp
The trial began in November 2008 and lasted more than 170 days.
Prosecutor Richard Maidment told the jury the defendants were planning to commit “extreme violence” to try to change Australian foreign policy.
Mr Maidment had said: “They were motivated to pursue what they probably saw as a religious cause, that is that of jihad.”
The specific targets of attack were not revealed.
The names of the man cannot be given for legal reasons.
They showed little emotion on hearing the verdict and were remanded in custody to reappear on 14 December.
The raids on the homes yielded terror-related material, prosecutors said.
The BBC’s Nick Bryant in Sydney says the men were arrested four years ago, following tip offs from hardware store and gun shop owners, whose suspicions were raised when the men started to order unusually high amounts of chemicals and guns.
Prosecutors said one defendant had attended a training camp in Pakistan of the Lashkar-e-Taiba group and had set up a paramilitary style camp in rural New South Wales to train three of the other men.
Justice Anthony Whealy praised the jury for their diligence and integrity.
I am sure that we have Trial Lawyers in this country that would like to see this in the USA.
from your second link
***************************EXCERPT*************************
Five men have been found guilty in Sydney, Australia, of conspiring to commit terrorist attacks.
A jury deliberated for 23 days before convicting them unanimously on charges including possessing bomb-making instructions and explosives chemicals.
The maximum sentence for the offences is life in prison.
Prosecutors said the men were arrested in raids on their homes in 2005 and planned to commit violence to alter Australia's policy on the Middle East.
There were angry scenes outside the specially designed court in Parramatta as supporters of the convicted men scuffled with members of the press.
A brother of one of the men, who was protesting outside the court, told AFP he did not think imprisoning the group would stop terror attacks.
"I think it will increase the threat on Australia," he said.