Ringleader of the ‘tinnie terrorists’ Robert Musa Cerantonio to be freed from jail in May

‘Tinnie terrorist’ ringleader Robert Musa Cerantonio set to be released from jail in May as authorities consider extended supervision orders to monitor wave of freed jihadis.

Former self-styled Islamic preacher Robert Musa Cerantonio.

The leader of the so-called “tinnie terrorists”, self-styled preacher Robert Musa Cerantonio, will be back on the streets in May after completing a seven-year jail term for planning to overthrow The Philippines government.

He is one of seven high-risk terrorist offenders due for release into the community this year, as the government and police prepare to abandon the continued detention orders that have allowed authorities to jail dangerous ­people beyond the end of their prison terms.

Future high-risk terrorism offenders released into the community look set to be monitored under extended supervision orders, new powers introduced in 2021 that allow even tighter surveillance and monitoring than the CDOs in place since 2005.

The expected widespread use of extended supervision orders heralds a new era in the management of Australia’s cohort of terrorism offenders who have completed their jail terms but may still pose risks to the community.

The supervision orders will allow police to control and monitor the movements, associations and communications of offenders 24 hours a day, ban them from contacting certain people, accessing prohibited material or using specific social media or encrypted communications.

It will likely provide a heavy burden on federal and state police and ASIO resources, with dozens of police sometimes required to monitor one high-risk offender.

Cerantonio, 38, will be set free in Melbourne on May 9 after completing his sentence for preparing for an incursion into a foreign country for the purpose of engaging in hostile activities.

He will be the first high-risk terrorism offender released since the report in March by the Independent National Security Legislation Monitor, Grant Donaldson SC, who criticised continued detention orders as disproportionate, and urged the government to scrap them.

Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus has not indicated whether he will accept Mr Donaldson’s recommendation, saying he was considering the report findings.

The Australian Federal Police seem to have moved away from seeking CDOs, and is expected to apply for extended supervision orders for two high-profile offenders due for release shortly: Blake Pender, in NSW, and Abdul Nacer Benbrika, in Victoria.

Pender’s case is complicated, involving terrorism convictions and other crimes of violence. He has served a one-year CDO at the conclusion of his jail term and is due for release in September.

Blake Pender’s continued detention order ends this year. Picture: AAP

Benbrika, the ringleader of an al-Qa’ida-inspired plot to attack Australian landmarks in the early 2000s, has served three years of a CDO beyond the end of his 15-year jail term.

Police are not expected to seek a continuation of his order but will apply for an extended supervision order in the community.

Benbrika remains in prison until December, and has several legal disputes under way, including an appeal against a government’s decision to strip his Australian citizenship.

Abdul Nacer Benbrika.

Cerantonio led a group of men who towed a small boat from Melbourne to Cape York in May 2016, intending to sail to The Philippines with the intention of joining a push to oust the government and install sharia law.

The improbable scheme, which saw police surreptitiously follow the men as they slowly drove the boat across Australia, was doomed from the start – the boat was just 7m long and none of the men had experience at sea.

Five other men were later jailed over the plot. All have since been released.

At a bail hearing for one of the group in 2016, Acting Detective-Sergeant Adam Foley told the Supreme Court in Victoria that global intelligence services considered Cerantonio the second or third most influential jihadist preacher in the world.

An Australian-Italian who converted to Islam and became a self-styled preacher and spiritual leader, Cerantonio has since claimed he has renounced his Islamic faith and extremist ideology, encouraging others to stay “away from the same mistakes’’.

He did not receive early release on parole and has served his entire sentence.

The Attorney-General’s Department declined to comment on whether it would seek either a continued detention order or an extended supervision order against Cerantonio upon completion of his jail term.

 

“The Attorney-General takes advice from agencies on these matters,’’ a spokesperson said.

The AFP declined to comment on what order, if any, would be sought.

“The AFP is not the applicant for offenders eligible for an extended supervision order/CDO,’’ a spokeswoman said. “The Attorney-General’s Department is the responsible agency.’’

Other high-risk terrorism offenders are set to be released in coming years as those who received mid-range sentences during the wave of Islamic State terror last decade begin to complete their sentences.

Sydney man Nowroz Amin, who tried to travel to Bangladesh to engage in violent extremism, is due for release in October after serving five years and four months after being convicted of preparing for, or planning, a terrorist act.

Another Sydney man, Youssef Uweinat, is due for release in Nov­ember after being jailed for three years and 11 months for being a member of Islamic State.

A third man, Ibrahim Ghazzawy, who helped plan a foiled terror attack in Sydney is slated for release in December after being sentenced to eight years in jail.