On Wednesday the New South Wales Supreme Court jury condemned a pakistan-born architect, named Faheem Khalid Lodhi, to a 20-years-long detention for charges linked to terrorist activities.

The jury found him guilty of having tried to buy chemicals that could be used to make explosives and they proved that he was negotiating the purchase of maps of the national power grid, using a false name.

During the trial, the prosecutor displayed evidences that convinced the jury about Lodhi’s commitment, or at least his deep interest, in terrorism: indeed not only he tried to buy chemical components that could be combined together to produce a bomb, but also did he possess fifteen pages of handwritten notes in Urdu, Pakistan's official language, containing instructions on making petrol bombs, poison, cyanide gas, sulfuric acid, hand grenades and other explosive devices. Moreover, hundreds of files relating to Islamic extremism and U.S. military training manuals were found on his computer...

While pronouncing the conviction, the judge said that the plot appeared to be in "very preliminary" stages but that tough punishment was needed anyway because Lodhi's actions "displayed an intention on his part that a violent terrorist act or acts would be carried out in Australia."

He got on claiming that "It carried the obvious consequence that, if carried out, it would instil terror into members of the public so that they could never again feel free from the threat of bombing attacks within Australia."
In Australia, this is the third conviction on a case of terrorism after the promulgation of anti-terrorism laws, that were approved in response to 9/11 attacks in the United States.

The controversial aspect of this story is that the Australian anti-terrorism plan, is based on laws that are considered by critics as “having a lower standard of proof than other criminal laws”, but according to the government hey are necessary to provide proper protection from terrorism to the country.

Just one thought here at Zone-H, at least from my side:

Q: Am I deeply interested in terrorism?

    A: Yes

Q: Do I posses fifteen pages written in hurdu containing instructions on making bombs, killing people etc?

    A: Yes, actually I do posses much more than 15 pages and in more than one language

Q: Do I posses hundreds of files related to Islamic extremism?

    A: Yes, thousands actually

Q: Do I have US military training manuals on my computer?

    A: Yes, and this is due to the fact that most of the material used by Al Qaeda is most of the times some kind of CIA taco with Islamic sauce.

Q: Do I have intention to get power grid plans? SCADA penetration testing manuals? SCADA vulnerability whitepapers?

    A: Absolutely yes

and finally:

Q: am I a terrorist?

    A: Certanly not, my interests in the matter is purely journalistic, most of the material that could be used to tell that I am a terrorist in a trial was actually taken from the Internet, where everyone could find it.

See, we all want to put terrorists on trial, we all hate terrorists (Islamic and non-Islamic) but when it comes the time that you get trialed for your "intentions" , especially if your case could be used to give a good example, then I don't feel anymore that the System is right. Do you?

Comments Index (Total Messages: 4)

Where to draw the line? Written by Guest on 2006-09-04 12:22:56 fucker is guilty Written by Guest on 2006-09-26 18:40:25 Re: fucker is guilty Written by Guest on 2006-10-01 13:17:27 Re: Re: fucker is guilty Written by Guest on 2006-11-03 17:00:41

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