POLICE believe members of an alleged Melbourne terror cell have been providing funding to the militant extremist group al-Shabaab in Somalia.But charges are unlikely to be brought against the men because the amounts involved were small and convictions would be difficult to obtain, given that al-Shabaab is not listed in Australia as a terrorist organisation. The revelations come as police laid terror charges against another four of the men arrested in Tuesday morning's dawn raids, including counts of planning to go to Somalia to fight in the civil war and helping someone else do the same. A Melbourne Magistrates Court hearing for the men yesterday was tense, with family and friends clashing verbally with police as they entered the court. Inside the court, one of the accused, 33-year-old Wissam Mahmoud Fattal, launched a tirade about the Australian military being the real terrorists. "You call me a terrorist, I have never killed anyone in my life," Mr Fattal shouted. "Your army kills innocent people in Iraq." Mr Fattal also attacked Israeli forces, commented on the Palestinian situation and said Australian troops were killing innocent people in Afghanistan. "Take me from this country," he said as he was being led from the court by security guards. In the courtroom, supporters of the accused showed little respect for magistrate Peter Reardon, reading newspapers, talking and even pointing out to one suspect in the dock that his face was on the front page. "It's not a library, if you want to read the newspaper, go outside," Mr Reardon snapped at three young men. Police have alleged that members of the accused group wanted to go to Somalia to fight with al-Shabaab, which is said to be linked with al-Qa'ida. ..more..http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,25890136-2702,00.htmlMore charged with terrorism offences in Australia
CANBERRA (Reuters) – Australian police charged four more men on Wednesday with planning to attack an army base and shoot soldiers as the government considered whether to ban a Somalia militant group linked to the plot.During a brief court hearing in Melbourne on Wednesday, one of those charged refused to stand before the court and then shouted at the presiding magistrate."You call me a terrorist? I have never killed a person in my life, said Wissam Mahmoud Fattal, 33, before he was led to a jail cell. "Your army kills innocent people in Iraq and Afghanistan and Israel takes Palestinian land by force," he said.Australia has gradually tightened anti-terrorism laws since the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States, but analysts say the country remains a target because of its contribution to the Iraq war and its more than 1,500 troops in Afghanistan.A total of five men have been charged with terrorism offences. All have been remanded in jail to reappear in the Melbourne Magistrate's Court in October 26.The five, all Australian citizens with Somali and Lebanese backgrounds, were arrested in a series of police raids on Tuesday across Melbourne, Australia's second-largest city, after a seven-month investigation.Police said they had links to the al Qaeda-linked group, al Shabaab, in Somalia and had planned a commando-style attack to kill soldiers on a Sydney army base...more..http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090805/wl_nm/us_australia_security_13
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