Holsworthy Barracks terror plot
Encyclopedia
The Holsworthy Barracks terror plot was an alleged Islamist terrorist plot uncovered in August 2009 targeting Holsworthy Barracks
—an Australian Army
training area located in the outer south-western Sydney suburb of Holsworthy
—with automatic weapons. The perpetrators planned on infiltrating the base and shooting as many army personnel and others as possible until they were killed or captured, but were arrested before their plans could be enacted.
-based terrorist group al-Shabaab
were arrested and charged in association with the alleged terror plot. A fifth man was charged in the following days. Prime Minister
Kevin Rudd
has since announced that the federal government
has ordered a review of security at all military bases. On 6 August 2009, a Daily Telegraph
reporter and photographer were charged with taking a photograph of a defence installation after gaining entry to the military base.
The accused are Saney Edow Aweys, Nayef El Sayed, Yacqub Khayre, Abdirahman Ahmed and Wissam Mahmoud Fattal. All five are identified as having attended the Preston Mosque
, in Melbourne's northern suburbs. The mosque is the seat of Australia's leading Muslim cleric, Sheik Fehmi Naji El-Imam
. More recently, however, they had been attending the smaller 8 Blacks prayer hall, a former Snooker
hall located behind a 7-Eleven store on Boundary Road, which is regarded by authorities as a key hub in Australia's militant islamist network. All five had been part of the same religious "reading group" at the small mosque.
According to police spokesmen, the suspects had been seeking a Muslim cleric willing to give a fatwa
authorizing a jihad
attack on an Australian military target.
At his arraignment, Wissam Mahmoud Fattal refused to rise for magistrate Peter Reardon, saying that he would not rise to his feet for anyone but Allah. Fattal was led from the courtroom shouting that Australia was killing innocent people in Afghanistan and Iraq and that "you call us terrorists - I've never killed anyone in my life."
During the trial, 26 year old Saney Edow Aweys of Carlton North was one of the three men applying for bail in the Melbourne Magistrates' Court. He is also charged with aiding the commission of an offence by Walid Osman Mohamed in Somalia and preparing for incursions into Somalia for the purposes of engaging in hostile activities. Federal agent David Kinton told the court Aweys intended to travel to Somalia with two of his children.
legal affairs spokesman George Brandis
called for al-Shabaab to be listed as a terrorist organisation in Australia.
Al-Shabaab has since been listed as a terrorist organisation by the Australian government.
Evangelical church reverend Danny Nalliah
plans to use the plot as an argument to explain that Christianity should be protected "as the core value of the nation" in an upcoming speech titled Is the West being de-Christianised?.
late in 2009.
An editorial in The Daily Telegraph
called attention to the wider problem of terrorism emanating from the "ungoverned," but heavily Islamist territory of Somalia
. "If Somali-based terrorist groups can threaten Australia, then there is no limit to what they might do next." 16,000 Somali immigrants live in Australia, and Australian authorities have been worried for some time about the close links some of their number maintain with Islamist and jihadi organizations and ideologies.
Holsworthy Barracks
Holsworthy Barracks is located in the outer south-western Sydney suburb of Holsworthy. It is part of the Holsworthy military reserve, which has been a training area and artillery range for the Australian Army since World War I. Following World War II it became a major base for the permanent...
—an Australian Army
Australian Army
The Australian Army is Australia's military land force. It is part of the Australian Defence Force along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. While the Chief of Defence commands the Australian Defence Force , the Army is commanded by the Chief of Army...
training area located in the outer south-western Sydney suburb of Holsworthy
Holsworthy, New South Wales
Holsworthy is a suburb in south-western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Holsworthy is located 31 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Liverpool and partly in the Sutherland Shire.Holsworthy is most notable for...
—with automatic weapons. The perpetrators planned on infiltrating the base and shooting as many army personnel and others as possible until they were killed or captured, but were arrested before their plans could be enacted.
Arrests and trial
On 4 August 2009, four men allegedly connected with the SomaliSomalia
Somalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
-based terrorist group al-Shabaab
Al-Shabaab (Somalia)
Harakat al-Shabaab al-Mujahideen , more commonly known as al-Shabaab , is a terrorist group of militants fighting to overthrow the government of Somalia. As of 2011, the group controls large swathes of the southern parts of Somalia, where it is said to have imposed its own strict form of Sharia law...
were arrested and charged in association with the alleged terror plot. A fifth man was charged in the following days. Prime Minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
Kevin Rudd
Kevin Rudd
Kevin Michael Rudd is an Australian politician who was the 26th Prime Minister of Australia from 2007 to 2010. He has been Minister for Foreign Affairs since 2010...
has since announced that the federal government
Government of Australia
The Commonwealth of Australia is a federal constitutional monarchy under a parliamentary democracy. The Commonwealth of Australia was formed in 1901 as a result of an agreement among six self-governing British colonies, which became the six states...
has ordered a review of security at all military bases. On 6 August 2009, a Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph (Australia)
The Daily Telegraph is an Australian tabloid newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, by Nationwide News, part of News Corporation.The Tele, as it is also known, was founded in 1879. From 1936 to 1972, it was owned by Frank Packer's Australian Consolidated Press. That year it was sold to...
reporter and photographer were charged with taking a photograph of a defence installation after gaining entry to the military base.
The accused are Saney Edow Aweys, Nayef El Sayed, Yacqub Khayre, Abdirahman Ahmed and Wissam Mahmoud Fattal. All five are identified as having attended the Preston Mosque
Preston Mosque
The Preston Mosque is a mosque in Preston, Victoria, a suburb of Melbourne, Australia. It is the seat of Australia's leading Muslim cleric, Sheik Fehmi Naji El-Imam...
, in Melbourne's northern suburbs. The mosque is the seat of Australia's leading Muslim cleric, Sheik Fehmi Naji El-Imam
Fehmi Naji
Fehmi Naji El-Imam AM is the Grand Mufti of Australia. His predecessor, Taj El-Din Hilaly, retired on 10 June, 2007. He is secretary of the Victorian Board of Imams. Sheik Naji is currently the Grand Mufti and highest sunni leader in Australia, however there has been disputes whether the Mufti is...
. More recently, however, they had been attending the smaller 8 Blacks prayer hall, a former Snooker
Snooker
Snooker is a cue sport that is played on a green baize-covered table with pockets in each of the four corners and in the middle of each of the long side cushions. A regular table is . It is played using a cue and snooker balls: one white , 15 worth one point each, and six balls of different :...
hall located behind a 7-Eleven store on Boundary Road, which is regarded by authorities as a key hub in Australia's militant islamist network. All five had been part of the same religious "reading group" at the small mosque.
According to police spokesmen, the suspects had been seeking a Muslim cleric willing to give a fatwa
Fatwa
A fatwā in the Islamic faith is a juristic ruling concerning Islamic law issued by an Islamic scholar. In Sunni Islam any fatwā is non-binding, whereas in Shia Islam it could be considered by an individual as binding, depending on his or her relation to the scholar. The person who issues a fatwā...
authorizing a jihad
Jihad
Jihad , an Islamic term, is a religious duty of Muslims. In Arabic, the word jihād translates as a noun meaning "struggle". Jihad appears 41 times in the Quran and frequently in the idiomatic expression "striving in the way of God ". A person engaged in jihad is called a mujahid; the plural is...
attack on an Australian military target.
At his arraignment, Wissam Mahmoud Fattal refused to rise for magistrate Peter Reardon, saying that he would not rise to his feet for anyone but Allah. Fattal was led from the courtroom shouting that Australia was killing innocent people in Afghanistan and Iraq and that "you call us terrorists - I've never killed anyone in my life."
During the trial, 26 year old Saney Edow Aweys of Carlton North was one of the three men applying for bail in the Melbourne Magistrates' Court. He is also charged with aiding the commission of an offence by Walid Osman Mohamed in Somalia and preparing for incursions into Somalia for the purposes of engaging in hostile activities. Federal agent David Kinton told the court Aweys intended to travel to Somalia with two of his children.
Related events
On 9 August 2009 the oppositionCoalition (Australia)
The Coalition in Australian politics refers to a group of centre-right parties that has existed in the form of a coalition agreement since 1922...
legal affairs spokesman George Brandis
George Brandis
George Henry Brandis, SC , Australian politician, has been a Liberal member of the Australian Senate representing Queensland since May 2000.-Education & Early Career:...
called for al-Shabaab to be listed as a terrorist organisation in Australia.
Al-Shabaab has since been listed as a terrorist organisation by the Australian government.
Evangelical church reverend Danny Nalliah
Danny Nalliah
Danny Nalliah is an Australian Christian evangelist pastor and young earth creationist. He is the leader of Rise Up Australia, a prayer organisation, and the President of Catch the Fire Ministries. Danny Nalliah successfully defended a law suit commenced by the Islamic Council of Victoria under...
plans to use the plot as an argument to explain that Christianity should be protected "as the core value of the nation" in an upcoming speech titled Is the West being de-Christianised?.
Impact
As a consequence of this and other recent incidents, the government of Australia is reconsidering its approach to the threat of terrorism and has announced that it will release a national security White PaperWhite paper
A white paper is an authoritative report or guide that helps solve a problem. White papers are used to educate readers and help people make decisions, and are often requested and used in politics, policy, business, and technical fields. In commercial use, the term has also come to refer to...
late in 2009.
An editorial in The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph (Australia)
The Daily Telegraph is an Australian tabloid newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, by Nationwide News, part of News Corporation.The Tele, as it is also known, was founded in 1879. From 1936 to 1972, it was owned by Frank Packer's Australian Consolidated Press. That year it was sold to...
called attention to the wider problem of terrorism emanating from the "ungoverned," but heavily Islamist territory of Somalia
Somalia
Somalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
. "If Somali-based terrorist groups can threaten Australia, then there is no limit to what they might do next." 16,000 Somali immigrants live in Australia, and Australian authorities have been worried for some time about the close links some of their number maintain with Islamist and jihadi organizations and ideologies.
See also
- Terrorism in AustraliaTerrorism in AustraliaAustralia has known acts of modern terrorism since the 1960s, while the federal parliament, since the 1970s, has enacted legislation seeking to specifically target terrorism...
- Islamic Courts Union – Somalia
- IslamismIslamismIslamism also , lit., "Political Islam" is set of ideologies holding that Islam is not only a religion but also a political system. Islamism is a controversial term, and definitions of it sometimes vary...