TERROR SUSPECTS CHARGED IN COURT

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 MELBOURNE 000094 NOFORN SIPDIS STATE PLEASE PASS TO HOMELAND SECURITY E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/07/2019 TAGS: PTER PINR PREL KVPR AS SUBJECT: TERROR SUSPECTS CHARGED IN COURT REF: A. MELBOURNE 93 ¶B. MELBOURNE 92 ¶C. MELBOURNE 18 ¶D. 08 MELBOURNE 117 ¶E. 08 MELBOURNE 66 ¶F. 08 CANBERRA 909 Classified By: JUSTIN KOLBECK, POL/ECON OFFICER FOR REASON 1.4 (D) Summary -------------- ¶1. (SBU) Following the August 4 terror arrests in Melbourne (Ref. A),five men have been charged with conspiring to prepare a terrorist act. Melbourne's Muslim communities are bracing for public backlash in the wake of the arrests, but there have been no confirmed incidents to date. While the arrests have again raised the specter of terrorism, the idea of a homegrown attack on Australian soil remains at most a distant eventuality for many locals. End summary. Charges Laid -------------- ¶2. (C) Five men were detained on terror charges on August 4 (Ref. A) in Victoria and have since appeared in court on August 4-5. Saney Aweys, Nayef Elsayed, Yacqub Khayre, Abdirahman Mohammed Ahmed, and Wissam Mahmoud Fattal are charged with conspiring to prepare a terrorist act. Fattal is a Lebanese citizen, Elsayed is a native born Australian, while the others hail from Somalia. Yacqub Khayre returned from training with Al Shabaab in Somalia on July 14. The men allegedly discussed carrying out a suicide attack on Sydney's Holsworthy Army Base, which appears to have been their primary target. Other bases around Victoria were allegedly discussed as targets as well. Muslim Community Response -------------- ¶3. (SBU) In the immediate aftermath of the August 4 police raids, leaders within the Muslim community released statements condemning the attacks. The Australian Intercultural Society released a scathing statement criticizing the terror suspects and assuring the Australian community that such acts are not condoned by Islam or by the vast majority of Muslims living in Australia. Sheikh Fehmi Naji El Imam, Mufti of Australia, spoke out against the suspects and said he and other leaders supported the work of the Victorian Police and Australian Federal Police. The Islamic Council of Victoria (ICV) also released a statement warning its members to be vigilant of harassment, assault or abuse towards Muslims that could be caused by backlash following the arrests. The ICV noted that "past events (have) often led to a rise in Islamophobia." There have already been unconfirmed reports of assault directed at Muslim women around Melbourne. Links to Al Shabaab? -------------- ¶4. (C/NF) Police commenced their investigation after discovering that some of the suspects were seeking to travel to Somalia in order to join Al Shabaab, a militant Islamic group with ties to Al Qaeda. On August 6, a purported Al Shabaab representative released a statement saying "we have nothing to do with (the suspects)" and disavowing any relationship with them, although, Yacqub Khayre reportedly trained with Al Shabaab in Somalia before returning to Australia last month and Abdirahman Mohammad Ahmed is believed to have funneled money to Islamist insurgents in Somalia. Foreign Minister Smith publicly stated that the GOA is examining "very seriously" the possibility of placing Al Shabaab on Australia's list of terrorist groups. Preston Mosque Connection? -------------- ¶5. (C/NF) Post met with Sheikh Fehmi at the Preston Mosque on July 20. The mosque is one of the largest in Victoria and is also home to the Islamic Society of Victoria. At least three, and possibly all five, of the suspects reportedly prayed at the Preston Mosque before moving to the less MELBOURNE 00000094 002 OF 002 mainstream and allegedly more militant "Eight Blacks Prayer Center" in North Melbourne. In our meeting, Sheikh Fehmi denied any notion that his mosque preaches radicalism. In addition, he has been outspoken in his praise for the police work done in this case. However, post was struck during our visit to the mosque by some of Fehmi's more conservative perspectives. Fehmi and his aides indicated a level of discomfort by recent attempts to "soften" Islam in order to make it more appealing and less intimidating to Australia's non-Muslim community. Referring to inflammatory remarks made by a Melbourne based cleric who claimed that under certain circumstances, marital rape was permitted (Ref. B),Fehmi's chief aide almost sympathized with the cleric, saying that there are interpretations within the Qu'ran that would justify the statement. Comment -------------- ¶6. (SBU) There has already been discussion about reviewing security at Australian military installations in light of the reported terror plot. Ironically, there were warning signs as early as 2007 that some fringe members of the Somali community in Australia were traveling to Somalia in order to join the jihad against the Somali government. Sheikh Hersi Hillole, chairman of the Somali Community Council of Australia, publicly said in 2007 that young men returning from their jihad mission in Somalia were more likely to consider becoming involved in a terrorist attack against Australia. THURSTON