‘Silent assassin’s’ fantasies of killing children in their sleep

A recently freed terrorist spoke of being a ‘silent assassin’ who would ‘kill kids in their sleep’.

Murat Kaya outside the Supreme Court in Melbourne in 2016. Picture: AAP

A “tinnie terrorist” who walked free from jail less than two weeks ago talked about being a “silent assassin” who would “kill children in their sleep”.

A detailed report from the Australian Government Solicitor’s office obtained by The Australian outlines the government’s argument for a strong control order limiting Murat Kaya’s freedoms upon his release from jail.

Kaya was arrested in 2016 for his role in a plot to sail from Cape York in a small fishing boat to help overthrow the government of The Philippines and install sharia law. He was sentenced to three years and eight months’ imprisonment last February after pleading guilty to a charge of engaging in conduct in preparation for incursions into foreign countries for the purpose of engaging in hostile activities. The terror-­related crime carries a maximum life sentence.

Among the government’s solicitor’s concerns were handwritten notes found in Kaya’s Melbourne jail cell in March 2018 which he claimed were rap lyrics. “You wont hear me coming im a silent assassin,” he wrote. “Hide your kids i’ll Kill em in there sleep.”

Kaya wrote about taking back Jerusalem and compared himself to Sultan Mehmed “coming to conquer ya”.

“Born a revolutionist, like Che Guvara,” he said. “Im not a sociolist, its for the sake of Allah.”

While in custody Kaya also penned letters to convicted terrorist Hamza Abbas and his brother Kadir Kaya who was also jailed over the plot to travel to The Philippines.

Kaya told his brother he didn’t blame anyone for what happened. “This is nothing but a test from Allah,” he said. “Inshallah the day comes very soon that we all sit around the BBQ talking and laughing about our experiences.”

Kaya also wanted to sit around a BBQ with Abbas who is serving a 22-year sentence over a plot to kill people in Melbourne’s Federation Square around Christmas.

Kaya wrote to Abbas in January 2018 about life in jail, visits in jail and “his diet”.

He hoped they could “soon be outside sitting in front of a BBQ drinking some cold Hallal beers joking about these days”.

A recorded phone call from the Metropolitan Remand Centre in March 2018 captured Kaya questioning the legitimacy of the charges brought against him.

“If we do end up getting convicted over this, a lot of brothers are f..ked out there bro,” he said.

“This is a precedent case, it then gives the cops the green light to just arrest whoever and however they want pretty much … it’s a test and, thanks to Allah, bro, we all know that, we all understand that.” In the lyrics found in his cell Kaya warned his audience to listen to his words and take heed: “In Allah we believe, For me his all I really need.”

Federal Court judge Paul Anastassiou handed down an interim control order last month with 20 conditions, noting his concern that Kaya presented an ongoing risk of “committing, supporting or facilitating” a terrorist act in Australia or overseas or committing, supporting or facilitating engagement in a hostile activity in a foreign country.

Justice Anastassiou said Kaya “has continued whilst in custody to espouse ­extremist ideology, ­including ­violence, contempt ­towards non-Muslims and Australian law”.

His release conditions include a curfew between midnight and 6am and reporting to a police station twice a week. There are also exclusion zones around airports and ports and he is prohibited from leaving Australia.

Kaya is not allowed to possess more than four litres of petrol, or a knife in a public place without a reasonable excuse. He is also prohibited from communicating with anyone in Iraq, Syria or The Philippines and only permitted to contact certain people in Turkey.

There are also restrictions around 36 digital platforms including Facebook, Viber, FaceTime, Telegram and Twitter.

Kaya is prohibited from ­accessing material depicting or describing executions, beheadings, suicide attacks, bombings, terrorist attacks or terrorist propaganda unless published by the media or shown on TV or in the cinema. He cannot drive, buy or rent a vehicle weighing more than 4.5 tonnes.