Elder Clavell brother stopped from leaving Australia before Murray River campground shooting
The elder brother gunned down by police at a Murray River campground was previously stopped from leaving Australia. It comes as a family member claims the siblings were unfairly targeted because of their notorious last name.
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One of the extremist brothers police shot at a Murray River campground attempted to leave Australia last year but authorities stopped him, family have revealed.
Joshua Clavell — whose brother Joel was also shot on Wednesday — allegedly tried to fly out of Sydney.
The revelation comes amid family claims the siblings were unfairly targeted because their father was notorious Adelaide criminal Rodney Clavell, who took his own life in a 2014 siege.
An Adelaide family member on Saturday night told the Sunday Herald Sun they did not believe Joshua, 30, was an extreme Islamist who deserved to be on a terror watch list.
News he tried to leave Australia last year comes after police said Joshua had gone to Bangladesh to marry in recent years.
“I find that very hard to believe,” the Clavell family member said.
“How he got over there. I know he tried, but didn’t succeed. Where’s the wife now? That’s all news to us.”
Both Joshua and Joel, 19, hadn’t been in much contact with relatives for several years.
Joshua was doing “quite well for himself” working as a model and stripper in Melbourne, while Joel was a “happy kid” in his early teens when they “last laid eyeballs on him”.
The men grew up in a strict religious home.
“It was a very strict Christian house,” the relative said. “People don’t know what he (Rodney) was like before.
“Going from such a goody-two-shoes, I couldn’t even say s--- in his house. You swore, you were out the door.”
Daniel and Richard, among the men’s nine siblings, had served time in jail.
“Daniel converted to Muslim (sic) five or so years ago but Joel and Josh — no, we didn’t know,’’ the relative said.
“It happened when he was locked up. He read the Koran and went down that road.”
The relative said Joshua and Joel were a target of police because of their surname.
“They were not on the run and they were minding their own business,” they said.
“The police have antagonised them. I’m not condoning what they did, but I can’t blame them.
“Their father was shot by police and then he dies five years ago. They are naturally going to be on guard.
“They see the police as the bad people and honestly, I do too. Having this surname is not a good thing.
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“We’re constantly being harassed by the police. They’ve got a badge and a gun but that doesn’t make them better than the law.
“Doesn’t give them power to be good and try and kill people. We just hope for the best outcome, that the boys pull through.”
Joshua and Joel emerged from a car with a knife and tomahawk after they rammed a police car and officers tried to intercept them at Richardsons Bend Campground in Barnawartha North.
Officers later shot them when they refused to drop the weapons.
Joshua remains in a serious condition at Albury Base Hospital while Joel continues fighting for life at The Alfred.
— For those needing help, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14.