Man charged with terrorism offences after alleged role in Brisbane extremist group
A man who allegedly played a senior role in a Brisbane group of extremists linked to an Islamist militant group in Syria will face court again on Thursday.
The 39-year-old man, whom police say had been living in Syria since 2019, was arrested on July 16 at Sydney International Airport upon his return to Australia.
He was charged preparation for foreign incursions as part of a Queensland Joint Counter Terrorism Team investigation into the group, the Australian Federal Police said in a statement.
Police will allege the man was a “founding senior figure” in an organisation involved with providing financial aid to people who left to participate in the Syrian civil war with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, a Sunni militant rebel group.
It will be alleged the Brisbane group maintained a religiously motivated, violent extremist ideology.
The man was arrested on a Queensland warrant by New South Wales counter terrorism police.
He underwent mandatory quarantine before being extradited to Queensland on Tuesday to appear briefly before the Brisbane Magistrates Court on Wednesday.
The matter was adjourned and the man will appear in court again on Thursday.
He has been charged with preparations for incursions into foreign states for purpose of engaging in hostile activities, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years’ imprisonment if convicted.
There is no ongoing threat to the community relating to this investigation, the AFP said.
AFP Assistant Commissioner Counter Terrorism Scott Lee said the federal police would continue to “discourage and disrupt” Australians from fighting overseas.
Queensland Police Service Security and Counter-Terrorism Command Assistant Commissioner Debbie Platz said multiple agencies were involved in the investigation.
“Our agencies continue to work collaboratively not just in investigating and prosecuting offenders but also in the field of prevention and early intervention through to responding and disrupting terrorist activity,” she said.
Members of the Australian Federal Police, Queensland Police Service and the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation form the Queensland Joint Counter Terrorism Team.
Source: heraldsun
