World | Australia
Suspects' spiritual leader 'not a terrorist'
The spiritual leader of a group charged with planning violent jihad in Australia, was not a terrorist and was not plotting to kill former Prime Minister John Howard, his lawyer told a court on Wednesday.
- Reuters
- Published: 00:39 February 28, 2008
Melbourne: The spiritual leader of a group charged with planning violent jihad in Australia, was not a terrorist and was not plotting to kill former Prime Minister John Howard, his lawyer told a court on Wednesday.
Australia's biggest terrorism trial has heard that 12 Islamists, including spiritual leader Abdul Nacer Benbrika, had talked about staging a bombing attack that would force Australia to withdraw its troops from Iraq.
Australia has about 550 combat troops in Iraq, which it plans to withdraw by about the middle of 2008. Australia also has about 1,000 troops in Afghanistan.
Benbrika, 47, who praised Al Qaida leader Osama Bin Laden as a "great man", told the group that Australia was a land at war and jihad was justified, the prosecutor has told the court.
"He is a man who is not a terrorist," defence lawyer Remy van de Wiel said yesterday in opening his case, reported Australian Associated Press from the court.
He said the group was not a terrorist organisation, it did not have weapons, explosives or ammunition and did not have a plot to kill Howard.
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