Sydney man jailed on terror charges

A Sydney man who discussed having random people killed for Islamic State has given the group’s one-finger salute and said “Allahu Akbar” in court after being jailed for his crimes.

Omarjan Azari has admitted attempting to intentionally making funds available to IS and was found guilty by a jury last year of doing an act in preparation or planning for a terror attack.

He refused to stand in the NSW Supreme Court on Friday as Justice Natalie Adams sentenced him to 18 years imprisonment with a non-parole period of 13-and-a-half years.

The 24-year-old will be eligible for release in March 2028.

Azari’s preparation or planning charge related to a 2014 phone call he had with Mohammad Ali Baryalei – an Australian who had joined IS in the Middle East – in which they discussed the killing of “any random unbeliever” and multiple people in Australia each month.

“I want you to do this work, but I want this work to be continuous, continuous,” Baryalei said.

“I don’t want you to get arrested, but want to do continuously and every month terminate five, six, seven people, every month, every month, and we will make videos.”

In the intercepted call, Azari said the problem was that the “boys who have heart” were under extreme surveillance.

He suggested that the murders be committed by a religiously ignorant person or a minor who wasn’t under surveillance, while he and his associates could be involved in getting a video recording for IS, the judge said.

Azari said a two-month postponement would allow him to “get out of being under surveillance” and “after that everything will be easy”.

Justice Adams said he was being sentenced on the basis that by participating in the phone conversation with Baryalei, a high-ranking IS member now presumed dead, he intended to be doing an act in preparation for, or planning, a terrorist act.

“He is not be sentenced on the basis that he had formed any agreement to commit any terrorist acts,” she said.

She said he made suggestions during the call as to how the terror acts could be carried out and indicated he was willing to agree with any order from the commander of Islamic State.

He went to to great efforts in his attempts to provide money to IS overseas – and that although the amounts weren’t large, they were considered much needed, Justice Adams said.

“The facts in this case demonstrate the insidious nature of Islamic State and the hold it was able to take over young Muslims,” she said.

“In this case it captured the heart and mind of an otherwise law-abiding young man and radicalised him.”

Source: 9news