A former Qantas worker
found guilty of producing a do-it-yourself jihad manual had his conviction
reinstated by Australia's High Court Friday, with judges ruling he had
extremist intentions.
Lebanese-born Belal
Khazaal, an ex-Qantas cabin cleaner, was jailed for 12 years in 2009 over the
Arabic-language handbook, which included how-to guides on bomb-making,
assassinations, kidnappings and shooting down planes.
The 110-page
"Provisions of the Rules of Jihad: Short Judicial Rulings and
Organizational Instructions for Fighters and Mujahideen Against Infidels"
named ex-U.S. president George W. Bush and his CIA chief George Tenet as
targets.
Khazaal, 42, had his
conviction for knowingly making a document connected with assistance in a
terrorist act quashed by an appeals court in 2011, but government prosecutors
sought to have it reinstated by the High Court.
A five-judge panel
headed by Chief Justice Robert French ruled Friday that Khazaal's original
conviction should stand, rejecting his claims that the manual had not been
intended to incite extremism.
"The Court held
that the evidence pointed to by the respondent did not suggest a reasonable
possibility that the making of the e-book was not intended to facilitate
assistance in a terrorist act," the judges said.
Khazaal, once a prominent
Islamic youth leader, must serve at least nine years before he can apply for
release.http://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/49561
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