Ari and Aran Sherani acquitted of terrorism offences over bushfires

A jury has acquitted a pair of Epping brothers who were allegedly driven by Islamic State ideology to torch the same bushland previously destroyed during the devastating Black Saturday fires of terrorism offences.

Two brothers allegedly driven by Islamic State ideology to light fires in the same bushland torched during Black Saturday have been acquitted of terrorism offences.

Ari Sherani, 22, and Aran Sherani, 21, from Epping, were on Wednesday found not guilty of attempting to commit a terrorist act after they doused bushland near Humevale in petrol before lighting it on fire in the summer of 2021.

But the jury found Aran guilty of one count of carrying out acts in preparation for terrorism after he purchased a knife and filmed himself holding it while calling for revenge over the mistreatment of Muslims.

He had already pleaded guilty to being a member of the terrorist organisation Islamic State.

The brothers embraced after the jury returned their verdict following five days of deliberations.

The pair faced a three-week Supreme Court trial centred around two small bushfires lit in Humevale and Kinglake West in February 2021.

The fires were lit a few hundred metres from homes and caused minimal damage but prosecutors alleged they were intended to be terrorism acts.

Jurors were shown several videos of Aran pledging allegiance to Islamic State and vowing to exact revenge on non-believers over the deaths of Muslims in Iraq and Syria.

“Islamic State still remains,” Aran said in one video.

“You are not safe anywhere. You will all taste the fire.”

In another video filmed in Kinglake West about 10 days later, Aran, whose face is blurred, is shown in a selfie-style video dousing a flammable liquid over trees before setting them alight.

“To the kafir (non-believers), may this fire burn you and your family, may you suffer, may you all die,” he said in the video.

Aran was responsible for lighting both fires, while his older brother was only present for the Humevale blaze which he filmed.

Aran’s lawyer Patrick Doyle SC said Aran made the videos to send to Islamic State to convince them to help him travel to the Middle East so he could fight for the Kurdish people.

Lawyer Colin Mandy SC, for Ari, said his client filmed his younger brother lighting the Humevale fire but he was not a terrorist.

He described Ari as being a “weed-smoking, fun-loving guy” who was part of the “social media generation” which explained his willingness to help make the videos.

Justice Amanda Fox on Wednesday thanked the jury for its service, describing all 12 members as “attentive and hardworking”.

Following his not guilty verdict, Ari’s lawyers requested he be released from the dock.

But the court heard there was a “protocol” that needed to be followed, involving Ari returning to the cells and signing some paperwork.

In reply, lawyer Lucien Richter said his client would only do so as a free man since his indictment had been “cleared”.

“I’m happy to accompany Ari Sherani up the normal way, as a free man, to attend and to assist them to clear up anything,” he said.

Later that afternoon, Ari walked free from the Supreme Court with the support of his loved ones, who ushered him into an awaiting car.

Aran, who remains in custody, will be sentenced at a later date.