Australian Muslim cleric, five others convicted on terrorist charges

The jury in Australia's largest terror trial found Abdul Nacer Benbrika, 48, guilty of being the leader of the cell in the southern city of Melbourne and five others guilty of being members.

The Victorian Supreme Court heard that Benbrika urged his followers to target football matches or a train station and kill civilians to pressure Australia to withdraw soldiers from Iraq and Afghanistan.

After a trial lasting more than seven months, a further four suspects were cleared of planning terrorist acts in Melbourne involving the detonation of an explosive or use of weapons.

The jury was yet to deliver verdicts on two other men.

Algerian-born Benbrika showed no emotion as the jury delivered a guilty verdict on charges of intentionally directing the activities of a terrorist organization – which carries a prison term of up to 25 years – and of being a member of the group.

Benbrika had told his followers it was "permissible to kill women, children and the aged", prosecutors said during the trial.

Prosecutor Richard Maidment had told the trial that material seized from the group by police included literature on how to make bombs and video tapes with messages from Osama bin Laden.

The court was told suggested targets included the 100,000-strong crowd at the 2005 Australian Football League grand final at Melbourne Cricket Ground and the popular Crown Casino during the 2006 Australian Formula One Grand Prix.

However, Justice Bernard Bongiorno had warned jurors that prosecution witness Izzydeen Atik, who told the court that Benbrika had mentioned the targets to him, was a liar and fraudster and his evidence was unreliable.

Defence lawyers argued the defendants were not terrorists but young men learning about Islam from a self-styled sheikh who, "couldn't organise a booze-up in a brewery".

Remy Ven de Wiel, defending Benbrika, told the court his client was a braggart and did nothing more than talk about jihad, or holy war.

"The Muslims in Australia have a sense of powerlessness and political impotence and they express themselves," Van de Wiel had told the jury.

Jurors found Aimen Joud, 23, Fadl Sayadi, 28, Abdullah Merhi, 22, Ezzit Raad, 26, and Ahmed Raad, 24 guilty of being members of a terrorist organisation.

Ahmed Raad, Ezzit Raad and Joud were also found guilty of intentionally making funds available to a terrorist organisation, while Joud and Benbrika were found guilty of possessing a CD connected with the preparation of a terrorist act.

All the guilty are due back in court in November ahead of sentencing.

Not guilty were Hany Taha, 33, Bassam Raad, 26, Majed Raad, 23, and Shoue Hammoud.

The jury was unable to reach verdicts on charges against Shane Kent, 31, and 28-year-old Amer Haddara.

All the accused were arrested in November 2005, shortly after Australia passed toughened anti-terror laws in the wake of that year's bombings of London's transport system.

The laws make it easier to detain and prosecute suspects believed to be involved in the early stages of planning attacks.

Attorney-General Robert McClelland welcomed the convictions, which he said were the "most successful terrorist prosecution that this country has seen".

The minister said a terror attack in Australia was possible and authorities had to remain vigilant for home-grown extremist groups.

"It would be naive not to recognise that such an attack could be perpetrated by home-grown terrorism," he told reporters.