Terror accused expected to make bail bid 20160121 p5tymq.html – Breaking News & Latest Updates 2026
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Qld terror accused has bail bid postponed

AAP

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A man facing terrorism-related charges in Queensland has had his bail hearing postponed as a judge considers whether he has adequate access to case material in prison.

Former Islamic bookstore owner Omar Succarieh is accused of fundraising for the Jabhat al-Nusra terror group in Syria, and arranging to send associate Agim Kruezi to join the fighting.

Supreme Court Justice Jean Dalton on Thursday adjourned a bail hearing for Succarieh for one week, saying she needed more time to decide whether the 32-year-old has being given enough access to the evidence against him - hundreds of hours of covertly recorded conversations.

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Justice Dalton suggested prison authorities should be called in to explain why they refuse to let Succarieh have a computer in his cell.

"If I come to a conclusion that there's not sufficient access to the brief of evidence in prison, and I'm still concerned about whether or not bail should be granted, the obvious practical solution is have the Department of Corrective Services justify their position," she told the Brisbane Supreme Court on Thursday.

A $600,000 surety has been offered for Succarieh's bail, and he has agreed to submit to GPS monitoring and a curfew if released.

In his submissions, Succarieh's lawyer Saul Holt QC said his client needed to decipher 840 hours of conversations - which are peppered with Arabic and slang - to properly defend the allegations against him.

"This is simply a monster brief with a very large quantity of material which Mr Succarieh needs to carefully consider, and on the access that he has, he can't," Mr Holt said.

He added that the case against Succarieh was highly contestable, and the risk of him fleeing was not unacceptable.

"He has the support of a highly respected imam who is prepared to work with him while he's on bail, who can be described as anything other than radical," Mr Holt said.

Succarieh is charged with making funds available to the Jabhat al-Nusra group, facilitating associate Agim Kruezi's passage to Syria, and causing money to be given to Kruezi in preparation for an offence against the Crimes (Foreign Incursion and Recruitment Act).

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Both he and Kruezi, 22, have been behind bars since their arrest in a series of counter-terrorism raids in September 2014.

Succarieh's case is due to return to court next Thursday.

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