- Jack Thomas found not guilty of receiving al-Qaeda money
- The Herald Sun
- 23/10/2008 Make a Comment
- Contributed by: The Rooster ( 264 articles in 2008 )
MELBOURNE man Jack Thomas has been found not guilty of receiving funds from al-Qaeda.
Thomas, 35, was found guilty of possessing a falsified passport, after altering a visa for Afghanistan.
The 12-strong Victorian Supreme Court jury reached their verdict after two days of deliberation.
Thomas, who had pleaded not guilty to both charges, appeared relieved as the verdicts were delivered and mouthed "thank you" in the jury's direction as his family cried.
Thomas was convicted on the same charges in 2006, but the Court of Appeal later quashed the convictions.
After interviews Thomas gave to the ABC Four Corners program and The Age newspaper were broadcast and published, prosecutors sought and were granted a retrial in December 2006.
During the retrial, which began last Tuesday and ran for seven days, crown prosecutors alleged Thomas accepted $US3,500 ($5000) and a plane ticket to Australia from al-Qaeda operative Khaled bin Attash in Pakistan between November 2002 and January 2003.
Bin Attash approached Thomas claiming to have a message from Osama bin Laden that the terrorist leader wanted a "white boy" to work for him in Australia, and that he, bin Attash, could offer $US10,000 ($14,438) immediately to anyone willing to carry out an attack.
Thomas travelled to Afghanistan in March 2001, originally with his wife and child, to train with the Taliban to fight in the civil war.
He ended up in an al-Qaeda camp but says he didn't know it was run by the terrorist group until he saw bin Laden at the camp for the first time, before the September 11 attacks in the US.
After the judge left the bench and the court was adjourned today, Thomas slipped through a gap in the dock to hug his family.
Thomas was bailed on the passport charge and will reappear in the Victorian Supreme Court next Wednesday for a pre-sentence hearing.
Outside court, defence lawyer Jim Kennan SC said: "He has now been acquitted of all terrorist related charges and obviously that is a matter of great satisfaction to him and to those of us who represented him."
Mr Kennan said the verdict raised further doubts about Australia's anti-terror laws.
"We are concerned about the terrorist laws and we are concerned about the erosion of civil liberties and I think this country needs a Bill of Rights," he said.
Mr Kennan said Thomas would not be giving any further media interviews "now or in the future".
Thomas, 35, was found guilty of possessing a falsified passport, after altering a visa for Afghanistan.
The 12-strong Victorian Supreme Court jury reached their verdict after two days of deliberation.
Thomas, who had pleaded not guilty to both charges, appeared relieved as the verdicts were delivered and mouthed "thank you" in the jury's direction as his family cried.
Thomas was convicted on the same charges in 2006, but the Court of Appeal later quashed the convictions.
After interviews Thomas gave to the ABC Four Corners program and The Age newspaper were broadcast and published, prosecutors sought and were granted a retrial in December 2006.
During the retrial, which began last Tuesday and ran for seven days, crown prosecutors alleged Thomas accepted $US3,500 ($5000) and a plane ticket to Australia from al-Qaeda operative Khaled bin Attash in Pakistan between November 2002 and January 2003.
Bin Attash approached Thomas claiming to have a message from Osama bin Laden that the terrorist leader wanted a "white boy" to work for him in Australia, and that he, bin Attash, could offer $US10,000 ($14,438) immediately to anyone willing to carry out an attack.
Thomas travelled to Afghanistan in March 2001, originally with his wife and child, to train with the Taliban to fight in the civil war.
He ended up in an al-Qaeda camp but says he didn't know it was run by the terrorist group until he saw bin Laden at the camp for the first time, before the September 11 attacks in the US.
After the judge left the bench and the court was adjourned today, Thomas slipped through a gap in the dock to hug his family.
Thomas was bailed on the passport charge and will reappear in the Victorian Supreme Court next Wednesday for a pre-sentence hearing.
Outside court, defence lawyer Jim Kennan SC said: "He has now been acquitted of all terrorist related charges and obviously that is a matter of great satisfaction to him and to those of us who represented him."
Mr Kennan said the verdict raised further doubts about Australia's anti-terror laws.
"We are concerned about the terrorist laws and we are concerned about the erosion of civil liberties and I think this country needs a Bill of Rights," he said.
Mr Kennan said Thomas would not be giving any further media interviews "now or in the future".
Source: https://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,24540876-5005961,00.html
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