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Sydney terror plotters sentenced to 20 years’ jail

Al-Kutobi and Kiad had been under surveillance for about a month when arrested and charged in February 2015. Photo: Facebook.

Al-Kutobi and Kiad had been under surveillance for about a month when arrested and charged in February 2015. Photo: Facebook.

Sydney men Omar Al-Kutobi and Mohammad Kiad have been sentenced to 20 years’ jail for preparing to commit a terrorist attack.

Al-Kutobi, 25, and Kiad, 27, intended to target a Shiite prayer hall in February last year, but that plan was abandoned in favour of a plot to attack someone with either a knife or machete.

They will spend a minimum of 15 years behind bars.

In sentencing, Supreme Court Judge Peter Garling told court there was enough evidence to suggest the men were on the cusp of carrying out the attack.

“From the seized material and as a consequence of other information received by the authorities during the investigation, a comprehensive chronology of events charting the offenders radicalisation and the formation of their conspiracy to commit a terrorist act, or acts, can be set out,” he said.

TError plotters Sydney

Al-Kutobi and Kiad had been under surveillance for about a month when arrested and charged in February 2015. Photo: Facebook.

“Although neither of the offenders were raised to follow any extreme views related to Islam, it is clear that during and certainly by the end of 2014, both of the offenders had been drawn to and had embraced the ideology of the Islamic State and extremist Islamic views.”

Police pounced after tip-off

Al-Kutobi and Kiad had been under surveillance for about a month when they were arrested and charged with preparing to carry out a terrorist attack in February 2015.

Court documents revealed an informant tipped off the Joint Counter-Terrorism Team (JCCT) to the plot on February 10.

The same day, counter-terrorism police swarmed on the granny flat Al-Kutobi and Kiad shared in Fairfield and arrested the men.

The pair ware arrested just minutes after they had filmed a video in which Al-Kutobi could be seen speaking Arabic in front of a home made Islamic State flag.

A screenshot taken from video showing Omar Al-Kutobi in front of an Islamic State flag. Photo: AAP.

A screenshot taken from video showing Omar Al-Kutobi in front of an Islamic State flag. Photo: AAP.

The men pleaded guilty.

“As indicated by their respective pleas of guilty, the offenders admitted that between January 1, 2015, and February 10, 2015, they conspired with each other to do acts in preparation for or planning a terrorist act,” Justice Garling said today.

“It was the Crown case that the terrorist act subject to the offender’s conspiracy involved one, detonating an improvised explosive device — an IED — to damage or destroy a building and or, two, using a bladed weapon — either a machete or hunting knife or both — to cause a person’s death, endanger a person’s life or create a serious risk to the health and safety of the public, or a section of the public.

“It was the Crown case that these acts were to be done with the intention of advancing a political, religious or ideological cause, namely an extreme interpretation of the Islamic faith.”

– ABC

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