Handwriting in alleged Sri Lankan terror plotter’s notebook ‘inconclusive’: police
THE Sri Lankan university staffer accused of plotting to assassinate the former prime minister has walked free from Goulburn Prison on bail after the sole piece of police evidence against him fell apart.
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A young Sri Lankan university staffer accused of plotting to assassinate the former prime minister will be freed on bail after the sole piece of police evidence against him fell apart.
Police say Sydney IT worker Mohamed Kamer Nilar Nizamdeen was a lone wolf Islamic State supporter but family and friends insist he’s an innocent, moderate Muslim who’s been framed.
Detectives swooped on the 25-year-old last month after a UNSW colleague allegedly discovered his notebook containing a terror hit list targeting Malcolm Turnbull, his former deputy minister Julie Bishop and the Opera House.
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But Nizamdeen denies writing any of the planned bloody atrocities and the prosecution on Friday revealed handwriting analysis of the notebook has come back inconclusive.
“Without a conclusive expert opinion suggesting the defendant was the author… the evidence available to support the charges is significantly weakened,” prosecutor Choi told Central Local Court.
She said no extremist ideology material was found on the electronic devices seized when police raided the Zetland man’s home.
“The crown has conceded… that the notebook is the main evidence which is relied upon,” Magistrate Robert Williams said.
Nizamdeen was granted bail when he appeared via video link from Goulburn Supermax Prison and family members present in court said they were thrilled.
The IT business analyst’s lawyer passed on his client’s appreciation for the huge support he’s received while locked up at the notorious high security jail for four weeks, extending a special thanks to his UNSW colleagues.
“The case against him is extremely weak, almost nonexistent,” defence solicitor Moustafa Kheir said outside court.
“We’ll be continuing to fight until all charges against him are dropped and he’s completely exonerated.”
Mr Kheir said eight-hours worth of police interviews had yielded nothing for the prosecution, and Nizamdeen had been frank with detectives, even giving them “suggestions for further investigations”.
Nizamdeen, who is the nephew of Sri Lanka’s sports and local government minister Faiszer Musthapha, has been living in Australia on a student visa that has now been cancelled.
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Magistrate Williams noted the risk of him leaving the country while on bail “ must raise concern” but ruled it could be mitigated.
He ordered Nizamdeen not to contact any UNSW staff member, to reside with his family and to report to Gordon police station twice weekly.
Last week hundreds of Colombo locals held a silent protest calling for justice while an online petition has gathered more than 16,000 signatures.
Distraught relatives of Nizamdeen, who is also the grandson of the former chairman of Sri Lanka’s Bank of Ceylon, say they’ve been barred from speaking to him since he was charged with knowingly making a document connected with terrorism.
Nizamdeen’s best friend says he’s also been held in solitary confinement.
Sharendra Peiris says he spoke to his childhood friend of 20 years just six hours before the dramatic UNSW arrest and stressed any idea that the star commerce graduate was leading a double life is “absolute rubbish”.
“He embraced Sydney and there’s no reason for him to be destructive to a city that’s been so kind to him,” Mr Peiris told The Daily Telegraph.
Mr Peiris says in the single brief conversation the family had with Nizamdeen, he said he’d misplaced the notebook months ago.
When Nizamdeen returned from a trip home to Colombo in early August to visit family he was assigned to a new workstation away from the desk where the diary was found, Mr Peiris said.
“They’ve only said it’s “strikingly similar” to Kamer’s handwriting - does that even sound like hard-hitting evidence to you?” Mr Peiris said.
“Shouldn’t you be a little bit more cautious before you go and bash his name? This is someone’s reputation, this is someone’s life.”
Mr Peiris denied his mate had ever travelled to Tunisia or any war-torn Middle Eastern countries, adding Nizamdeen had recently been on a holiday to the United States to visit family.
Police allege Nizamdeen, who has no criminal history, was not yet capable of executing an attack and they haven’t charged him with being a member of a terrorist organisation.
The model student has starred in online promotional material for the university that was abruptly removed the day he was charged.
He also worked with police in 2016 to develop a safety app helping international students adapt to life in Australia, which was presented at Parliament House.
Nizamdeen’s matter has been adjourned to October.