Terror accused linked to plot to buy missiles

About 20 AFP officers remain at the home where 42-year-old Haisem Zahab was arrested yesterday on terror charges.

Haisem Zahab in handcuffs after a police raid yesterday. Picture: Nine Network

About 20 Australian Federal Police officers remain at the home in the town of Young where 42-year-old Haisem Zahab was yesterday arrested on terror charges.

A group of police have been focused on a particular part of the back yard for more than half an hour.

Mr Zahab’s wife and three children left the house when police raided the property yesterday morning and have not returned.

Police at the scene say they do not know how long they expect to continue searching, but port-a-loos have been set up in the back yard for them to use.

Neighbour Kerry Barr, 72, said Mr Zahab was only one among hundreds of Muslims in Young and his arrest on terror charges relating to research he allegedly conducted into assisting Islamic State to build missiles did not make her feel unsafe.

“People are frightened to a certain extent, but that’s because it’s the unknown,” she said.

“There’s no need for people to be scared. They’re at much more risk from the local ice addicts.”

“I certainly don’t feel threatened and I live by myself.”

Accused tied to missile buy plot

An electrician from the NSW country town of Young who was arrested for allegedly designing missile systems for Islamic State militants in Syria has been linked to a sophisticated terrorist conspiracy to buy Chinese surface-to-air missiles from international arms traders 18 months ago.

Haisem Zahab, 42, was ­arrested by heavily armed police at his home in Young more than 18 months after his uncle, Hicham Zahab, was named by Kuwaiti authorities as a suspected member of a major Islamic State arms-smuggling ring that had organised the purchase of Chinese-made FN-6 surface-to-air missiles. The subsequent ­investigation by Australian ­Federal Police into the arms-smuggling allegations, named Operation Marksburg and details of which were revealed by The Australian in November, culminated in yesterday’s joint raid with NSW police. It is unclear whether it will be alleged that Haisem Zahab, a former solar panel installer who moved his young family from western Sydney to Young in 2013, was designing systems for the same missiles.

Dozens of police raided his family home yesterday morning and arrested him. They used metal detectors to search the premises.

“With these offences we will allege he has used the internet to perform services for ISIL, activities in the Syria and Iraq conflict, from Australia,” AFP Commissioner Andrew Colvin said.

“Firstly, by researching and designing a laser warning device to help warn against incoming guiding munitions used by ­coalition forces in Syria and Iraq. Secondly, we will also allege that he has been researching, designing and modelling systems to ­assist ISIL’s efforts to develop their own long-range guided missile capabilities.”

The AFP does not believe Mr Zahab has ever worked for any government agency, but Mr Colvin said he was “technically trained … as an electrician”.

“We will be alleging that the material he was intending to provide to ISIL, the research that he was doing, was credible,” he said. “In terms of the advice he was providing, we will allege it was fairly sophisticated.”

Mr Colvin said Mr Zahab was suspected of having networks and contacts in Islamic State, “not necessarily just in the conflict zones but in other parts of the world as well”.

He was also believed to be acting alone in allegedly developing the systems.

Senior sources told The Australian that Mr Zahab, a member of a prominent Islamic family in Young, had previously been charged and convicted over drugs and unregistered firearms and ammunition offences.

An online “survival gear” business selling knives and heavy-duty torches was registered to Mr Zahab’s address in 2013. Last night, the website removed its product list, claiming “we are currently performing some schedule maintenance”.

Police stressed Mr Zahab’s ­alleged activities did not relate to any current or impending threat to the Australian community.

Malcolm Turnbull said the ­operation highlighted that terrorism and support for Islamist ­extremism was not limited to Australia’s major cities.

“Police will allege that this individual, in a regional centre, acted with intent to provide ISIL with the capability, with the technical capability, and hi-tech capability, to detect and develop missiles,” the Prime Minister said.

Since the terrorism threat in Australia was raised to “probable” in September 2014, there have been four terrorist attacks, 12 successfully disrupted attacks, and 61 people charged as a result of 26 counter-terrorism operations.

Mr Zahab was yesterday taken to the Young police station and charged with two counts of preparations for incursions into foreign countries for the purpose of engaging in hostile activities, which carry a maximum penalty of life imprisonment. He was also charged with failing to comply with an order as a person with knowledge of a computer system. He did not apply for bail and his case was adjourned to Parramatta Local Court on March 8.

The Australian last year revealed that more than $500,000 was seized by the AFP from the bank accounts of Hicham Zahab, his wife Aminah, son Muhammad and daughter-in-law Mariam Raad. All four have left Australia, and at least one of them is believed to be in Syria.

Additional reporting: Paul Maley