Update on Melbourne 12 held on terrorism charges: Documents glorified Sept 11

[Damascus]

Update on Melbourne 12 held on terrorism charges: Documents glorified Sept 11

Bomb-making manuals seized from one of the 12 Melbourne men facing terrorism charges included instructions on remote-controlled car bombs, a court has been told.

Crown prosecutor Richard Maidment told the Victorian Supreme Court that material seized during ASIO raids on the homes of some of the men in 2005 included videos of Osama bin Laden and documents that glorified the September 11 attacks on the United States.

Mr Maidment told the court the material included articles about the September 11 attacks on the US in which planes were flown into New York's World Trade Centre and the Pentagon in Washington.

He said the articles described those responsible for hijacking those planes as martyrs.

"It glorifies the aircraft hijackers responsible for the September 11 attacks, suggests they will go down in history, glorifies them as martyrs," he said.

Other material seized included bomb-making manuals, which showed how to make a bomb using easily obtainable chemicals, Mr Maidment said.

"Some of it is Boy's Own stuff but it has a serious side to it," he told the court.

The 12 accused, who are appearing before Justice Bernard Bongiorno, each face a charge of being a member of a terrorist organisation.

The trial is being held in the Victorian County Court building, which allows for heightened security.

The 12 have all pleaded not guilty to being a member of a terrorist organisation and to a string of other terrorism-related charges.

The group's alleged spiritual leader Abdul Nacer Benbrika, 47, of Dallas, in Melbourne's north, is also charged with directing the group's activities and possessing a compact disc knowingly related to the planning for a terrorist act.

Fadal Sayadi, 28, of Coburg, Ahmed Raad, 24, of Fawkner,Aimen Joud, 23, of Hoppers Crossing, Abdullah Merhi, 22, of Fawkner, Amer Haddara, 28, of Yarraville, Shane Kent, 31, of Meadow Heights, Majed Raad, 23, of Coburg, Hany Taha, 33, of Hadfield, Shoue Hammoud, 28, of Hadfield, Bassam Raad, 26 of Brunswick, and Ezzit Raad, 26 of Preston - are all facing various terrorism-related charges.

The court also was told about a discussion, secretly taped by federal police, allegedly between Benbrika and other group members about a 1600-page article found on the internet. The document was written in Arabic and contained a list of potential terrorist targets in the western world and US including stock exchanges, military bases, petroleum plants and bridges (What surburban militant can attack military bases? Without help?), Mr Maidment told the court.

The group members discussed how long it would take for Benbrika to translate the document and if they would need to buy a new printer in order to get a copy of it for all group members.

Mr Maidment also told the court that documents glorifying the Mujahideen - a Muslim military force - and a graphic CD of the execution of a Russian soldier and spy in Afghanistan, were seized by ASIO.

"I wouldn't recommend anyone viewing them (the executions)," Mr Maidment said.

"They were harrowing."

He said a list of songs glorifying a Jihad were also among items found in the possession of group members.

"We used to own this world for centuries, look what has happened to us when we forget jihad," Mr Maidment told the court were the lyrics of one song.

The trial is continuing.