Zainab Abdirahman-Khalif trial: Jurors urged to keep ‘open mind’ as they watch hour-long video of terror propaganda videos
JURORS in the trial against accused IS member Zainab Abdirahman-Khalif have been told to keep an “open mind until the end” before they watched a 60-minute compilation of gruesome terror propaganda videos.
- Judge’s warning: Expect ‘gruesome, graphic’ evidence in IS trial
- Day one: Student ‘left home with $170 cash to join IS’
- Day two: Accused told friend ‘they caught me red-handed’
- Day three: Expert ‘can’t prove’ propaganda download was intentional
JURORS in the trial against accused IS member Zainab Abdirahman-Khalif have been told to keep an “open mind until the end” before they watched a 60-minute compilation of gruesome terror propaganda videos.
On Thursday, Adelaide-based Australian Federal Police Detective Sergeant Simon Warwick — who is the Team Leader for Counter Terrorism — took to the stand to give evidence against the 23-year-old former nursing student.
He said Abdirahman-Khalif’s phone was seized by his investigators in July 2016 after her failed bid to travel to Turkey.
The court has previously heard Abdirahman-Khalif attempted to travel to Turkey with a one-way ticket, hand luggage and $170 in cash.
Prosecutors allege it was her intention to travel to IS territory in Syria and Iraq.
Abdirahman-Khalif has pleaded not guilty to intentionally being a member of IS, knowing it to be a terrorist organisation between July 14, 2016, and May 23, 2017, at Mansfield Park.
Sgt Warwick told the jury that his team found 163 videos on Abdirahman-Khalif’s phone — 127 of which were “of investigative relevance”
He said there were 2329 photos — 1648 of which were of relevance to police — and 379 audio files which depicted “nasheeds”, or pro-IS songs.
The court was told the video shown to jurors was a “representation” of the content from the phone and included 14 files downloaded from the Telegram messaging service — a communication tool used by IS.
Before the video was played to the court, Justice David Peek delivered another warning about its contents, saying it was “gruesome material” and involved executions of prisoners.
But he said the videos had been censored and at the point of death, the screen becomes blacked out and a description of events was provided in its place.
“I appreciate it may be unusual, confronting and distasteful,” he said.
“You must not assume that the accused is guilty just because this material was found on her telephone.
“Don’t let it overwhelm your emotions so that it affects your attitude about the accused — keep an open mind until the end.”
On Wednesday, AFP digital forensic examiner Keith Fell told the court he could not determine whether Abdirahman-Khalif downloaded the pro-IS propaganda material on to her phone.
Bill Boucaut SC, for Abdirahman-Khalif, said Telegram allowed for both automatic and manual downloading of material.
“You were unable to determine whether any of the videos were accessed,” he said.
“You cannot say whether the data producing the videos came on to the phone automatically or by virtue of a manual download,”
Mr Fell agreed.
On Monday, the trial was told that Abdirahman-Khalif had been communicating with three women in Mombasa, Kenya, using Telegram before they carried out an IS suicide attack on a police station.
Commonwealth prosecutor Chris Winneke, QC, said Abdirahman-Khalif was not complicit in that attack but there was evidence to suggest she had some knowledge of it before it was carried out.
The trial continues.