Family 'devastated' after terror raids, Islamic community leader says
By Rebecca Hyam and Lily Nothling
Updated July 02, 2018 00:18:28
Photo: Anti-terror police raided the home early on Saturday. (ABC News: Tim Swanston)
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Map: QLD
The family of a Logan man who was charged with terrorism offences after an early morning raid are "devastated", a leading Islamic community member says.
The 21-year-old faces 14 terrorism charges after the Joint Counter Terrorism Team and ASIO searched the Kuraby property, south of Brisbane, on Saturday.
Photo: Ali Kadri says the charges should not be seen as a reflection on the broader Muslim community. (AAP: David Kapernick)
The charges include five counts of preparing incursions into foreign countries for the purposes of engaging in hostile activities in late 2016 and early 2017, and recruiting juveniles to join him.
Islamic Council of Queensland spokesman Ali Kadri said the charges should not be seen as a reflection of the broader Muslim community.
"It's surprising and shocking and we wouldn't expect that somebody with those kinds of charges would be amongst us," he said.
"We as a community have been very clear from the beginning that we condemn the terrorist organisations operating in those countries.
"Anyone who tries to join them is not only breaking the law of Australia, but breaking the trust of the community and going against the community."
Mr Kadri said the 21-year-old was the nephew of restaurant owner Abdul Basith, who was fatally stabbed in the front yard of his home last October.
Photo: Abdul Basith "worked tirelessly" at the local Indian restaurant he owned. (Facebook: Hanan Dajan)
Mr Basith's killing remains unsolved and a $250,000 reward is in place for information that leads to a conviction.
"The family has been struck with tragedy — losing a young man last year to a murder and now an even younger man being arrested for these serious charges," he said.
"The family is really devastated."
Ata-ur-Rehman Bhatti who lives near the house that was raided, said he was in complete disbelief.
"Twenty days ago I saw police here but this is the first time I'm listening that there is someone involved in a terror group," he said.
"But the good thing is that our federal police are doing a very good job with this type of element — it should be rooted out from Australia — this is a peaceful society."
The 21-year-old man is due to appear in Brisbane's Magistrates Court tomorrow.
He faces a maximum penalty of life imprisonment if found guilty of the incursion offence and 25 years if convicted of foreign incursion offences.
Topics: law-crime-and-justice, crime, murder-and-manslaughter, terrorism, qld, kuraby-4112, brisbane-4000
First posted July 01, 2018 11:25:53
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