Chilling new details emerge about Adelaide man arrested over terrorism offences

SECRET and intimate details of Adelaide’s terror suspect have emerged, with a former neighbour saying she considered his “ramblings” so “alarming” that she wanted him on a national security watch list.

• Adelaide man charged with advocating terrorism

• Read below: All spin on SA terror risks

SECRET and intimate details of Adelaide’s terror suspect have emerged, with a former neighbour saying she considered his “ramblings” so “alarming” that she wanted him on a national security watch list.

The woman was talking about her personal dealings with the 50-year-old man charged on Thursday with advocating terrorism by filming demonstrations on how to kill Jews.

Police will allege the man posted a number of videos on social media — some with him using a chainsaw and a knife — urging those in international conflict zones to commit terrorist acts.

The neighbour said that once about six years ago, she noticed the accused loitering in front of her house and then found a two-page typed letter, signed: “Yours faithfully, (his name) — International Private Investigator”, in her letterbox. She was so worried about the contents — which contained references to Mossad, the Iraqi war, ex-US president George Bush and September 11 — she sent the letter to Croyden MP Michael Atkinson.

“I just said I think he should be put on some national security watch list,” she said.

But she said she didn’t hear back from his office.

In a detailed manifesto written by the accused, he described growing up in a Palestinian family in Israel to moving to Australia and calling himself an “exiled” Arab Israeli.

The neighbour, whose name has been withheld, said on another occasion she caught the accused “acting suspiciously” near her parked car.

“He had a notepad and was looking at my car and I thought ‘he’s writing down my registration number’,” she said.

She said he was often at a nearby shopping centre and the last time she saw him was a couple of months ago.

“It’s funny, he’s a Muslim but he’s always at Dan Murphy’s,” she said.

The letter, which has been seen by The Advertiser, made a number of different claims concerning the power of Mossad, Israeli’s secret service.

The Flinders Park man was arrested after information was received by the National Security Hotline.

He appeared in court on Thursday, where it was heard he had previously been based at psychiatric facility James Nash House but was expected to remain in the Yatala Labour Prison infirmary until early next week.

All spin on SA terror risks

By Meagan Dillon

AUTHORITIES have refused to say whether counter terrorism agencies have a list of South Australians under surveillance because they are potential threats to the community.

It comes after a Flinders Park man was charged with advocating terrorism by allegedly filming demonstrations on how to kill Jewish people — the first time the charge has been laid in Australia.

Police will allege the 50-year-old posted videos to social media that encouraged people in international conflict zones to commit terrorist acts.

He faces four charges relating to four separate videos.

The arrest came after the South Australian Joint Counter Terrorism Team acted on information from the National Security Hotline. But police have refused to say how many people, if any, with possible terror links are being monitored.

SA Police on Friday referred The Advertiser to the Australian Federal Police, which in turn referred the newspaper to the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation. In a statement, ASIO said it did not maintain a “terror watch list” but used a “range of prioritisation systems and review mechanisms — not a single ‘watch list’ or ‘grid’ — in relation to counter terrorism investigations”.

“As is our longstanding practice, ASIO does not provide comment on individuals or operational matters,” it said.

Police Minister Peter Malinauskas.

Liberal MP Dan van Holst Pellekaan.

That same month, The Advertiser asked SA Police whether authorities had a similar “list” and how many people were on it.

The SA Police Media Unit Section responded: “Thank you for your email but SAPOL will be making no comment with regard to your questions.”

Police Minister Peter Malinauskas said he was “not at liberty to comment on operational matters”.

“However, I am confident that SAPOL, in conjunction with other agencies, are constantly reviewing security arrangements with a view to ensuring public safety,” he said.

In August, Opposition police spokesman Dan van Holst Pellekaan made a Freedom of Information request, asking SA Police to release the number of people it was watching with any terror links.

But police provided a written response saying it had determined “not to admit or deny the existence of any document(s) that fall within the scope of your request”.

Mr van Holst Pellekaan asked for the request to be reviewed but it was rejected for a second time in September.