• published: 12 Feb 2015
• views: 256

Accused terror pair due in Sydney court Accused terror pair due in Sydney court Omar Al-Kutobi and Mohammad Kiad arrested on terror charges Al-Kutobi arrived in Australia in 2009 using another person’s passport Both men will apply for bail at a hearing in four weeks Immigration Minister Peter Dutton has asked for an urgent review Tony Abbott says Australia must be more vigilant about who is let in TWO men accused of planning an act of terrorism knelt before an Islamic State flag and pledged to stab the kidneys and necks of Australians. Prime Minister Tony Abbott has told parliament security agencies have shown him a video in which the men make the pledge. “I swear to almighty Allah we will carry out the first operation for the soldiers of the caliphate in Australia. I swear to almighty Allah, blond people, there is no room for blame between you and us. We only are you, stabbing the kidneys and striking the necks,” he quoted them as saying. He described the contents of the video, seized during police raids in Sydney on Tuesday, as “monstrous extremism”. “I don’t think it would be possible to witness uglier fanaticism than this, monstrous extremism than this,” he said. The accused, Omar al-Kutobi, 24, and Mohammad Kiad, 25, had their charges heard in court today. They will apply for bail in four weeks with the court hearing photographic and video evidence would be used in the case against them. Mr Abbott said Australia needed its security agencies more than ever as it faced a metastasising threat. “Under the influence of the Islamist death cult, all you need to be a terrorist is a knife, a flag, a camera phone and a victim. That’s all you need,” he said. “We must defeat this threat and I am confident that this government has the will to do so.” Earlier today Mr Abbott said Australia must be more careful about giving potential migrants the benefit of the doubt after revelations one of Sydney terrorism suspects might have entered the country with a false passport. Immigration Minister Peter Dutton also has asked for an urgent review after being advised one of the men arrested on Tuesday might have flown to Australia with the fake documentation in 2009. Al-Kutobi arrived in Australia by plane in 2009 as an Iraqi national using another person’s passport, a senior intelligence source has confirmed to The Daily Telegraph. They also confirmed that he was granted a protection visa soon after and that he was then granted citizenship in 2013. That he had arrived using a false passport was only recently discovered. It was also confirmed that the second man charged, Mohammad Kiad, entered Australia in 2012. He was granted a visa under the family and spousal visa arrangements. Kiad was receiving welfare, a Newstart allowance, at the time of his arrest. It is believed he applied for and was granted welfare within 12 months of arriving in Australia. Al-Kutobi had also previously been on a Newstart ­allowance. However, he was not at the time of his arrest. Mr Abbott says the terror raids show Australia needs to be more vigilant about its border security, and more careful about future migrants. “If you look at the Martin Place murderer, he had been given the benefit of the doubt at every stage by our system,” he told Fairfax Radio. “I suspect the same will turn out to be the case with these people.” Australia should not give people permanent residency or citizenship without being confident they were here for “the right reasons, which are to join our team, to make a contribution, to accept our values, to be part of the big Australian family”, the prime minister said. This morning Mr Dutton said there were about 50,000 people who also arrived on boats around that time, hampering intelligence agencies’ ability to check every person thoroughly. The Fairfield granny flat where Mohammad Kiad and Omar al-Kutobi allegedly planned a terror attack. “It is a difficult situation, particularly that period of time, for the intelligence agencies,” he told Nine Network on Thursday. “I’ve asked for an urgent review, in relation to all the facts in relation to this case, so that we can learn lessons.” “Borders, at that stage, were fairly porous in Australia, with boats just coming every day. “If the system is being overwhelmed by tens of thousands of people coming by boat, it doesn’t matter if they come by boat or plane, it’s pretty hard for the security agencies to conduct the thorough searches they need to conduct.” The men appeared before Fairfield Local Court on Wednesday and didn’t apply for bail, which was formally refused. They are due to appear at Central Local Court on Thursday via audio visual link.