Muzzos at it again, sing along

[Valkie]

Cops sound alarm at jihadi singalong
PERRY DUFFIN


Joseph Saadieh (right) and Youssef Uweinat, who police allege is giving the Islamic State one finger salute.

POLICE claim they recorded an alleged ISIS influencer doing jihadi singalongs and praying for “hellfire” and punishment for gays, Christians and Jews – but his lawyers say police have misunderstood his faith.

The Joint Counter Terrorism Taskforce (JCTT) monitored Joseph Saadieh for years but in June concluded his online activity was “escalating” and took him into custody, the NSW Supreme Court heard last week.

He was charged with being a member of a terrorist group after police claim he pledged allegiance to ISIS and immersed himself in violent jihadi propaganda. He has denied the allegation.

Authorities allege in February they recorded Saadieh driving around Rookwood cemetery’s Holocaust Memorial, and the Christian and Jewish sections, saying “hellfire for all of you”. Police surveillance, according to JCTT court documents, repeatedly detected Saadieh singing along to musical chants.

“Islamic State I am coming forth like thunder bolts, in the pool of death and roses that scare disbelievers, stabbing enemies continuously, I cut off heads violently,” Saadieh allegedly sang.

Police also claim Saadieh’s close friends have been hauled before the courts on terror charges. Some have been found guilty.

The JCTT document claims phones and electronic devices seized from Saadieh contained viable bomb instructions. Preachings of ISIS clerics, screenshots of propaganda, including writings about beheadings, suicide, jihad and martyrdom, were also found, police claim, alongside photos of Saadieh and his resume on a USB.

Saadieh’s lawyer, Omar Samin said Saadieh’s beliefs were a “clear contradiction” to the accusations put against him by police.

Mr Samin has campaigned for Saadieh to be released on “extreme” bail conditions including reporting to police, removing his bedroom door so his parents could maintain constant supervision and wearing an electronic ankle monitor.

But police have warned they do not have the resources to safely monitor defendants bailed with private ankle monitors. Court documents from both the Australian Federal Police and NSW Police claim a number of mishaps and undetected breaches with the technology, including an accused terrorist who took off his monitor and killed two neighbours in Queensland, as well as an accused rapist in NSW who absconded after wrapping his ankle bracelet in foil.

The company behind the ankle monitors disputed each claim by police saying they had helped keep tabs on more than 100 alleged crooks in NSW and Victoria.

The Supreme Court will rule on Saadieh’s bail application in the coming weeks.