Australia nearly had its first suicide bomber.
Convicted Australian terrorist Zekky “Zak” Mallah sought the blessing of senior Islamic cleric Sheik Abdul Salam Zoud to become Australia’s first suicide bomber, a phonecall intercepted by ASIO revealed.The recorded conversation detailed Mallah, who will be freed in September, seeking the Sheik’s permission to travel to Lebanon to launch a suicide Jihad against non-Muslim targets.The revelation comes amid renewed scrutiny of groups within Sydney’s Islamic community believed to have recently travelled to Pakistan to meet with the radical clerics thought to have inspired London’s underground bombers.—-Mr Mallah’s application for an Australian passport was denied in May 2002 by Foreign Minister Alexander Downer after he received advice from ASIO that the young storeman was a security risk. The reason for that assessment has not been detailed until now.A spokesman for Sheik Zoud, the Sydney head of the radical Ahl Sunnah Wal Jammah, last night confirmed Mallah had sought the sheik’s blessing to become a suicide bomber.However, he said the sheik had refused him permission.
I think he asked the wrong Australian Sheik.
But in any event, no credit shoud go to Sheik Zoud. Sure, he apparently refused to give his blessing to Mallah becoming a suicide bomber. But any law-abiding Australian citizen would have immediately reported Mallah to the police if they had been sought for such advice.
Following the intercepted call, two ASIO officers summoned Mallah to a meeting in a rented office space in the south-west Sydney suburb of Bankstown, where the then 19-year-old orphan stood by his interpretation of jihad as a violent struggle against non-Muslims.“They said to me are you thinking of participating in violence?” Mallah told the Nine Network’s Sunday program at the time.“(I said): ‘No, I will not participate. But, on the other hand, if jihad is declared, then I will have to take part, because the Koran tells me to.'”The intercepted phone call revealed the cleric outlining an Islamic justification for a suicide attack against opponents of Islam outside Australia.Mallah publicly claimed he wanted to travel to Lebanon to find a wife.
A wife? More like 72 of them.
Another interesting thing about Mallah is his appearance. You would expect someone wanting to blow themselves up as not really caring about how they look. Looking like this perhaps:
But Mallah would win the prize for best groomed terrorist. Easily.
Carefully sculpted beard. Hair gel. Suit and tie. I guess he really is looking for a wife. And he might have just found one..named Bubba.
[Mallah] was found not guilty of the major terror charge by a Supreme Court jury in March this year, but ordered to serve a two-year sentence on a lesser conviction of threatening to kill commonwealth officers.
