Australian men charged with terrorism over mosque fires

By Joseph Hinchliffe

 

MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Australian police have charged three men with committing terrorist acts on suspicion of starting fires at a Shiite Muslim mosque in Melbourne last year, inspired by Islamic State and intending to divide the Muslim community.

 

Two of the men are already in custody and awaiting trial on suspicion of plotting bomb attacks in Australia's second largest city last year, while a third – a 29-year-old Melbourne man – was arrested late on Saturday.

 

All three face a maximum penalty of life imprisonment over the arson attack at the Imam Ali Islamic Centre in December 2016.

Australian Federal Police's counter terrorism national manager said that attacking a place of worship had no place in society.

 

“It is clear that these arson attacks were designed to intimidate and influence those that attend this mosque and the wider Islamic community," Assistant Commissioner Ian McCartney said on Sunday.

 

Australia, a staunch U.S. ally that has sent troops to Afghanistan and Iraq, has been on heightened alert since 2014 for attacks by home-grown militants returning from fighting in the Middle East, or their supporters.

 

While there have been several "lone wolf" attacks, officials say 13 significant plots have been foiled in that time.

 

Police say the three men were adherents of militant Sunni Muslim ideology.

 

Police said the arrest of the man on Saturday came after extensive investigations into fires at the Melbourne mosque – but said it did not relate to any direct threat to the community.

 

The other two men facing charges are in custody and awaiting trial for allegedly planning militant attacks around Christmas Day 2016 in Melbourne.

 

The two, a 25-year-old and a 27-year-old, will also be charged with terrorist offences for causing a previous fire at the Imam Ali Islamic Centre in November 2016.

 

The man arrested on Saturday will appear in Melbourne Magistrates' Court on Sunday, while the other two will appear in court on Monday.

 

This month, two men were charged with terror-related offences after authorities disrupted what they described as an Islamic State-inspired plot to bomb an Etihad Airways flight.

 

Another man arrested in relation to the foiled plot was charged with weapons offences and released on bail. A fourth man was released without charge.

 

A gunman in a 2014 Sydney cafe siege boasted about links with Islamic State militants, although no direct ties with the group were established. The gunman and two other people were killed in the siege.

 

(Reporting by Joseph Hinchliffe; Editing by Robert Birsel)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2017-08-22

Well, sorry but if muslims want to kill muslims, leave them to it. Sad, but I'm totally fed up with Islam and their hatred of anything other than some fictional cartoon like character 

23 minutes ago, RichardColeman said:

Well, sorry but if muslims want to kill muslims, leave them to it. Sad, but I'm totally fed up with Islam and their hatred of anything other than some fictional cartoon like character 

Yes. I never turn my back on those ladies who make rotis, too.

2 hours ago, ilostmypassword said:

Yes. I never turn my back on those ladies who make rotis, too.

 

The point is that if Muslims, or any other religious or non religious group breaks the law they have to face the consequences. If Muslims bring their factional violence to their new country then they risk being deported as part of the consequence of violent illegal behavior.

 

They should not be unfairly singled out, nor should they receive special treatment.

11 hours ago, webfact said:

Australian Federal Police's counter terrorism national manager said that attacking a place of worship had no place in society.

Not in our society anyway. But now that's what we have. Along with a significant, and growing, segment of our society that have to be continually watched lest they decide a bit of murder would make their god happy. Ain't multiculturalism fun.

An inflammatory post has been removed.  

12 hours ago, ilostmypassword said:

Yes. I never turn my back on those ladies who make rotis, too.

...i thought they were welders on their meal break.

If any of these guys are actually from some other country but hold Aussy passport, they are not really Australians, but imposters. I feel the same for all people who came from somewhere else  to any country then get a passport  and claim they are of the new country. They are all frauds and imposters. It is time the news medias got this part of their news stories right.

Geezer

Attacking a place of worship has no place in our society??? What about a bunker storing guns and explosives where the enemy plans its attacks on western civilization???? This might not get posted as it might offend a muslim lover carrying a copy of the cult guide called the Koran.

45 minutes ago, Stargrazer9889 said:

If any of these guys are actually from some other country but hold Aussy passport, they are not really Australians, but imposters. I feel the same for all people who came from somewhere else to any country then get a passport  and claim they are of the new country. They are all frauds and imposters. It is time the news medias got this part of their news stories right.

Geezer

Love you brother.

Just now, taipan1949 said:

Love you brother.

That is why I am waiting to see who the "Canadian" is who killed a motorcycle rider while doing a "U" turn.

46 minutes ago, Stargrazer9889 said:

If any of these guys are actually from some other country but hold Aussy passport, they are not really Australians, but imposters. I feel the same for all people who came from somewhere else  to any country then get a passport  and claim they are of the new country. They are all frauds and imposters. It is time the news medias got this part of their news stories right.

Geezer

No, if they have a passport from Australia, they are Australian.   If they have two passports, then they are a dual national.   They may very well have their Australian citizenship removed and deported after serving their time, but sadly, they are still Australian until their citizenship is revoked.  

1 hour ago, Stargrazer9889 said:

If any of these guys are actually from some other country but hold Aussy passport, they are not really Australians, but imposters. I feel the same for all people who came from somewhere else  to any country then get a passport  and claim they are of the new country. They are all frauds and imposters. It is time the news medias got this part of their news stories right.

Geezer

More than 5 million migrants have become citizens since Australian citizenship was introduced in 1949. Must be millions still living - that's a huge amount of frauds and impostors. Ozzy, Ozzy, Ozzy - Deport them all, prioritise Canadian dual citizens and those who cannot spell using the Queen's English.

Edited August 23, 20178 yr by simple1

Should have been given public service medals, not imprisoned.

1 hour ago, taipan1949 said:

That is why I am waiting to see who the "Canadian" is who killed a motorcycle rider while doing a "U" turn.

So apparently there's no such thing as road rage anymore. It's all about Islam.