Isaac el Matari appears in court over alleged Sydney terror plot
A young man who proclaimed he was the “general commander of IS Australia” wanted to create a stronghold in the Blue Mountains to conduct guerrilla-style attacks on sites across Sydney, court documents say.
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A young man who proclaimed he was the “general commander of IS Australia” wanted to create a stronghold in the Blue Mountains to conduct guerrilla-style attacks on sites across Sydney, court documents say.
The matter of Isaac el Matari, 20, was mentioned in Parramatta Local Court on Thursday after he was arrested during a series of raids that foiled the alleged terror plot that had listed police stations and churches as targets in the CBD.
According to documents tendered to the court, the Greenacre man sent money offshore to buy a gun and gun parts and amassed US army clothes and hoped to create a stronghold in the Blue Mountains to conduct guerrilla-style attacks in Sydney.
El Matari had allegedly told others “we are terrorists” and self-proclaimed himself as the “general commander of IS Australia”.
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He allegedly wanted to smuggle guns and TNT into Australia while operating a contingent of IS fighters from his planned Blue Mountains base.
But El Matari’s alleged plans were not confined to Australia, with police saying he wanted to travel to Afghanistan to take up the fight internationally.
Court documents state that he went to the Pakistani consulate in Sydney to obtain a visa and booked flights to Islamabad via China at a Flight Centre outlet in Penrith.
Police say he hoped to be smuggled across the Pakistani/Afghani border into Khorasan province, which is widely known as an Islamic State enclave in Afghanistan. It was there he allegedly hoped to get a rifle.
Defence lawyer Alistair Sinclair, appearing on behalf of high-profile Melbourne criminal lawyer Rob Stary, said their client would not be applying for bail and it was formally refused.
El Matari did not appear in court himself and his matter will return to court on August 30.
He has been charged with preparing for a terrorist act and engaging in preparation for an incursion into a foreign country for the purpose of engaging in hostile activities, which carries a maximum of life behind bars.
He was also charged with being a member of IS, which carries up to 10 years in jail.
Police allege El Matari was in the early stages of planning the attack, which would take in a range of targets across Sydney.
Officers allege he had not selected a specific target or time to attack.
Police have also charged associate Radwan Dakkak, 23, from Toongabbie, with being a member of terrorist organisation Islamic State. He is not accused of any terror plot.
He smiled and winked at supporters during a brief appearance at Bankstown Local Court on Wednesday before his matter was adjourned to August 30.
A third man, Ahmad Tebya, 20, was charged during the raids with obtaining a financial benefit by deception, but he is not charged with any terrorism-related offences. He was granted conditional bail to appear in court later this month.
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