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Pakistan-born guilty in jihad plot

SYDNEY: A Pakistan-born architect accused of plotting a jihad bombing campaign in Australia was convicted on three terrorism-related charges on Monday and could face life in jail.

Faheem Khalid Lodhi, 36, had been accused of planning to blow up the electrical grid in Sydney as well as several defence sites in 2003.

A jury at the city’s Supreme Court rejected his claim that he was planning for future business ventures when he used a false name to buy maps of the Sydney grid and inquire about purchasing chemicals which could be used to make bombs. The indictment said that Lodhi, who denied four counts of preparing to commit a terrorist act, had “the intent of advancing a political, religious or ideological cause, namely violent jihad”.

Prosecutors have linked Lodhi, also known as Abu Hamza, to Frenchman Willie Brigitte, who was deported in late 2003 after being accused of plotting a major attack in Sydney.

Brigitte, who remains in custody in France, is suspected of links to Al Qaeda and both he and Lodhi are alleged to have trained with Lashkar-e-Taiba, a militant Pakistani group that Australia has banned as a terrorist organisation.

Lodhi was found guilty on three counts, including writing what the prosecution described as a “terrorism manual”. He was acquitted on the fourth charge of downloading aerial photographs of defence sites for a purpose connected with terrorism.

Lodhi showed no emotion as the jury of six men and six women delivered their verdicts on the charges, which carry a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.

Lodhi, who has Australian citizenship, had denied that he had any intention of launching an attack. “This country is my country and these people are my people,” he said while giving evidence in his own defence. “The killing of innocent people is not part of Islam.”

Judge Anthony Whealy remanded Lodhi in custody to face sentencing submissions on June 29.

Attorney-General Philip Ruddock welcomed the conviction but declined to speculate on how close Australia had come to a terrorist attack. “I don’t know that it’s appropriate for me to try and make deductions as to how far off or when such an event might have occurred,” he told reporters. afp

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