Question: Which of the following is not an assassination technique: Detonating a car, sniping, booby trapping a room, storming houses, poison, shooting down planes, striking motorcades, cake throwing
Answer: Trick question. They are all assassination techniques
The book at the centre of a terrorism related trial in Sydney lists assassination methods including smothering a target by throwing a “cake”.
The book states “cake throwing” is well-known in the west, and suggests that instead of the sweets, an “adhesive substance could be used”.
Another method listed is wrapping the target in “a strong plastic bag”, which the book says hardly leaves a trace on the body and could leave the impression that it was suicide.
An English translation of the Arabic text in the book has been given to the Sydney jury hearing the New South Wales Supreme Court trial of Belal Saadallah Khazaal.
Today, the translator, Dr Muhammad Gamal, gave evidence in a closed court, after his translation was tendered as evidence in the case.
Mr Khazaal, of Lakemba in Sydney’s southwest, has pleaded not guilty to knowingly making a document connected with assistance in a terrorist act.
He also has denied attempting to incite the commission of a terrorist act.
In the Crown’s opening address on Wednesday, Peter Neil SC said Khazaal produced the 110 page book in September 2003 and soon after caused it to be posted on an internet website.
He said the book espoused a type of jihad which was “very violent” in order to advance the Muslim religion in the world.
But Mr Khazaal’s barrister, George Thomas, said except for a few paragraphs written by his client, the book was compiled from material authored by others which was freely available in the public domain.
The book is titled: Provisions on the rules of jihad – short judicial rulings and organisational instructions for fighters and mujahideen against infidels.
It is dedicated to various people including: “the prisoners languishing in the prisons of tyrants be it infidels, apostates or hypocrites, Christians or Jews or Infidels, Idolater and apostate”.
Twelve methods of assassination are listed, including detonating a car from a distance, sniping, booby trapping a room, storming houses, poison, shooting down planes and striking motorcades.
The smothering section includes drowning and the cake throwing technique.
“A couple could pretend to be joking before attacking the target,” the translation reads.
“This would lead to his eyes, nose and mouth being plugged and loses the ability to breathe.
“Few would suspect the fatal consequences.”
And I know just the shop western intelligence agents could use.
(Yeah, I realize I’m a little – ok, a lot – late with the story, but it’s blog fodder credentials were just too good to resist).
