20 years imprisonment for terror duo

Today, two men, Omar Al-Kutobi and Mohammad Kiad were sentenced in the Supreme Court of New South Wales by the Honourable Justice Peter Garling, for conspiring with each other to carry out acts in preparation for, or planning, a terrorist act. Al-Kutobi  and Kiad were each sentenced to 20 years imprisonment.

Al-Kutobi, an Iraqi refugee and Kiad, a Kuwaiti student who worked together as removalists, were arrested on 10 February 2015 by counter-terrorism police at the granny flat they shared in western Sydney where they were preparing to carry out an Islamic State-inspired terrorist attack.

Police seized home-made Napalm, a quantity of petrol, a hunting knife, machete, home-made Islamic State flag and a “martyr video” filmed by Kiad showing Al-Kutobi holding the hunting knife and making statements including the following:

“God willing, God willing we will avenge our brothers and sisters and mothers and fathers in the land of Caliphate. I swear to God will avenge Burma, Afghanistan, Caucasus and Chechnya and for all Muslim lands … I swear to God Almighty, yellow people, there is no reproach between us, you will only get from us the stabbing of your kidneys…”

The raid took place shortly after the men bought a large hunting knife from a military and camping store in Smithfield.

Deputy Director of the CDPP’s Organised Crime and Counter-Terrorism Practice Group, Scott Bruckard, said, ‘The sentencing of these two men today brings to a close another complex and very successful counter-terrorism case for our federal prosecutors.  In this case, Australia’s terrorism laws again enabled police to protect the community by disrupting this planned terrorist attack and successfully prosecuting all those involved. The lengthy sentences imposed reflect the very serious nature of this type of offending and the aggravating circumstances of this case. Anyone who undertakes preparation for or planning of a terrorist attack in Australia can expect to receive a lengthy sentence of imprisonment.’                           

CDPP Media Contact: communications@cdpp.gov.au or 02 6206 5708

Charges and sentence:

Omar Al-Kutobi and Mohammad Kiad were both charged with:

• One charge— between about 1/1/15 and 10/2/15 they conspired with each other to do acts in preparation for, or planning, a terrorist act contrary to sections 11.5(1) and 101.6(1) of the Criminal Code (Cth).

The sentence imposed was 20 years imprisonment with a non-parole period of 15 years.