Terror accused ‘mentally impaired’

AN Adelaide man who posted Facebook videos calling for violent attacks on Jews has been found not guilty due to mental impairment.

The 52-year-old father, whose name was suppressed, became the first Australian charged with advocating terrorism in December 2016, after he was arrested by Australian Federal Police following a tipoff on the National Security Hotline.

The South Australian District Court heard police seized electronic devices, carving knives, a tomahawk and chainsaw.

On Monday, a jury acquitted the man of four counts of advocating terrorism relating to four videos he posted on Facebook between July 2015 and January 2016, in which he called for others to kill Israeli soldiers and Jewish people.

In the videos, the man appeared brandishing a large kitchen knife and a tomahawk, and speaking in Arabic, referred to himself as a Hezbollah commander.

On a video viewed around 19,000 times on Facebook, the defendant called for Jews to be attacked with knives. He stated, “When you come to a Jew, any Jew, even an old one who looks humble, pretending to be humble … strike him in the head, when you strike him in the head, he will not even sneeze, he will die.”

In another video, he called for the death of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

His videos were collectively viewed about 23,000 times.

Judge Stephen McEwen and the jury heard there was no disagreement between the prosecution and defence that the man advocated terrorism and both sides agreed he was mentally impaired at the time. Under Commonwealth law, a jury, rather than a judge, was required to decide the verdict.

Defence lawyer Edward Jolly said the two forensic psychiatrists who assessed his client agreed he was suffering from paranoid schizophrenia at the time of the events.

The man, who has been in custody since his arrest, is due to face court again today (Thursday).

AJN STAFF

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