Verdict looms in trial of SA terror suspect Zainab Abdirahman-Khalif
THE verdict in South Australia’s first terrorism case must not be determined by “gut reactions” to appalling propaganda, nor by sympathy toward an “impressionable” young woman drawn toward a violent organisation, a court has heard.
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THE verdict in South Australia’s first terrorism case must not be determined by “gut reactions” to appalling propaganda, nor by sympathy toward an “impressionable” young woman drawn toward a violent organisation, a court has heard.
On Tuesday, the Supreme Court trial of Zainab Abdirahman-Khalif moved into its final phase, as prosecutor Chris Winneke QC began his closing address.
He asked jurors to find, beyond reasonable doubt, Abdirahman-Khalif had intentionally become a member of Islamic State, and urged them to consider the evidence in the case “clinically and dispassionately”.
“That’s particularly important in a case like this, where there are images that are likely to inspire gut reactions... it’s only human to be appalled, that would be hardly surprising,” he said.
“Some of the things you’ve seen, some of the ideas you’ve heard espoused by this organisation, are so far from what an ordinary member of the Australian community would regard as acceptable, reasonable and fair.
“But it would be wrong if, because of that evidence, you were to form a negative view of the defendant and allow that prejudice to overcome your obligation as a juror.”
Abdirahman-Khalif, 23, of Mansfield Park, has pleaded not guilty to one count of being a member of a terrorist organisation between July 14, 2016, and May 23, 2017.
Prosecutors have alleged she was in contact with a three-woman terror cell in Kenya that staged a knife and petrol bomb attack on a police station.
They allege she was not complicit in the attack, but “had some knowledge it was going to occur”.
They have further alleged she tried to leave SA for Turkey, without her family’s knowledge and with just $170, to join the organisation.
Previously, the court has heard Abdirahman-Khalif told a friend, immediately after the raid, police had “caught me red-handed”.
It was told she had IS propaganda videos, including beheadings, on her phone – experts cannot, however, prove she deliberately downloaded that material.
On Tuesday, Mr Winneke told jurors Abdirahman-Khalif was “a young woman and a citizen of this country”, deserving of a conscientious and fair approach to her trial.
“It’s not suggested that she has been involved, in any way at all, in the violent things you saw during the evidence,” he said.
“It’s not an allegation she was planning or intending to commit an act of violence.”
He said Abdirahman-Khalif may well attract understanding, even sympathy, from jurors.
“She is a young woman of an age where people are, perhaps, impressionable... you might think people with developing minds could be the subject of persuasion,” he said.
“You might think that, if a person had a legitimate religious view, that might make them more persuaded.
“Again, it would be wrong to allow those sympathetic views to divert you from your task in objectively, dispassionately weighing up the evidence.
“You cannot let your heart or your stomach - your gut reaction - overwhelm your mind.”
The trial, before Justice David Peek, continues.