Robert ‘Musa’ Cerantonio’s farcical plot to spread Islamic State’s hateful views
The “tinnie terrorist” behind a farcical plot to sail a fishing boat from Queensland to spread Islamic State’s hateful views overseas could be free within two years.
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Melbourne hate preacher Robert ‘Musa’ Cerantonio, who was the leader of a group of men who plotted to sail a boat to join an overseas terrorist group, could be freed within two years.
Cerantonio will serve a maximum of seven years for his leadership of the farcical plot to sail a 7m fishing boat from far North Queensland to the Philippines where he would help convince the group to overthrow the South East Asian nation’s government.
Cerantonio, 34, who rose to infamy as an online hate preacher who spread Islamic State’s vile views, would be eligible for parole in 2021.
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In sentencing Cerantonio Justice Michael Croucher said for his leadership of the plot and role in spreading his putrid ideology to others he deserved “greater punishment”.
His five co-accused were sentenced to between three and four years.
Cerantonio and his co-accused - Shayden Thorne, Antonio Granata, Paul Dacre and Kadir and Murat Kaya - decided to leave Australia by boat because their passports had been cancelled due to their extremist beliefs.
Counter-terrorism police were onto the plot weeks before the men left Melbourne in May 2016 and they were followed to Lara - a hamlet in Far North Queensland where they were arrested.
Justice Michael Croucher said before the group set-off Cerantonio was a charismatic and intelligent preacher who for years had spread his “putrid” extremist beliefs in an attempt to recruit other to his cause.
Justice Croucher said Cerantonio, 34, was a man of “intelligence and ability” who had chosen to use his attribute for evil rather than good, which made his moral culpability far higher.
He said the co-accused looked to Mr Cerantonio for “religious guidance and leadership”.
He said while Cerantonio had shown respect towards the court by standing when required and had engaged with religious clerics of other faiths while in prison he did not believe he had renounced his extremist views.
He said because those views and his extremist behaviour had been demonstrated to be of such longstanding he doubted if he would ever fully renounce them and rated his prospects of rehabilitation as moderate.
But despite his longstanding religious beliefs Justice Croucher said it was his view placing him on an indefinite order would be “unduly harsh.”
Those convicted of terrorist offences can be placed on orders of indefinite detention or supervision after their convictions.
Justice Croucher said Cerantonio was the man in the group who had advocated for the violent overthrow of the Philippines’ government.