Yet another convert to Islam misunderstands his new, peaceful faith. When will Honest Ibe Hooper and Brave Ahmed Rehab of CAIR and their Australian counterparts take the hint and institute programs for converts to teach them the true, peaceful Islam? And if they don’t have any interest in doing that, why not?
“Australian admits plotting to kill thousands,” from AFP, July 28 (thanks to Mathew):
MELBOURNE “” An Australian convert to Islam on Tuesday admitted being part of a terror cell that plotted to kill thousands of people by bombing major sports events, just moments before his retrial.
Shane Kent, 33, pleaded guilty to being a member of a group led by radical Islamic cleric Abdul Nacer Benbrika, who told his followers they could kill women and children in the pursuit of holy war.
Kent also admitted involvement in the cell’s plans for a bomb attack on sports events including the Australian Football League’s (AFL) 2005 Grand Final, which attracted some 92,000 fans and a TV audience of millions.
The former forklift truck driver was about to face a retrial on the charges, which he previously denied, after a Supreme Court jury last September failed to reach a verdict….
The men referred to themselves as mujahedeen, or holy warriors, and considered violent jihad an integral part of their religious obligations, judge Bernard Bongiorno said when sentencing Benbrika and the other men in February.
Benbrika was so committed to violent jihad, Bongiorno said, that he had talked about continuing the group’s activities behind bars if its members were jailed.…
Material seized from the group included bomb-making instructions and video tapes with messages from Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.
While the cell had not made advanced plans for a specific target or carried out an attack, Bongiorno said they had shown no remorse, and did not appear to have renounced their beliefs.
Kent was charged with intentionally being a member of a terrorist organisation and to making a document connected with the preparation of a terrorist act.
According to evidence at his first trial, Kent, who converted to Islam at 19, undertook two months of paramilitary training in the use of firearms and explosives in an undisclosed country.
His lawyers told the court Tuesday he was receiving psychiatric treatment for acute depression and anxiety. He will face a sentencing hearing on August 17.