Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="bandula" data-source="post: 477310" data-attributes="member: 2655">Police claim charity terror link - Australia<img src="http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/images/logo.gif" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" />Police claim charity terror linkMatthew Schulz and Mark DunnMay 01, 2007 01:45pmTWO Melbourne men charged with terror offences used Tsunami donations to fund their activities, police allege.The men were charged with terror offences after raids this morning on homes and businesses across Melbourne eastern suburbs by Federal and State police. A Mt Waverley man, 32, and a Vermont South man, 36, were both charged on three counts of being members of a terror organisation and providing money to a terror group. Police will allege the two men are members of the Sri Lankan separatists group Tamil Tigers, and face a maximum of 25 years in jail under the Criminal Code Act 1995.Federal police counter terrorism spokesman Frank Prendergast said they would allege the men were supporting the overseas terror group. ``It will be alleged in court that these men are members of an organisation engaging in terror activities overseas, and they have been providing active, material support to that group,'' Assistant Commission Prendergast said. He alleged the men had duped Australians who thought they were donating money to Tsunami victims in Sri Lanka, as well as other charities.Police would not reveal how much money had been siphoned from charities to the terror group nor what type of material support they had provided to the Tamil Tigers.But Assistant Commissioiner Prendergast stressed there was no evidence that the men planned to carry out any terrorist attacks in Australia.The Australian Federal Police and Victorian Police joint police counter terrorism team operation raided eight homes and business in Melbourne's eastern suburbs including Mt Waverley, Vermont South, Burwood East, Dandenong and Glen Waverley.Victoria Deputy Commissioner Kieran Walshe said the arrests followed a tip-off from the public. "We regard these offences as extremely serious," Deputy Commissioner Walshe said. Police would allege that the men actively raised funds with the knowledge some of the money would go towards "operational activity" by the Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka.Properties in the Sydney suburbs of Toongabbie and Paramatta were also raided as part of the investigation.The investigation follows Australian Federal Police raids in 2005 in which documents and computers were seized at several Melbourne properties but so far it is unclear if today's arrests are linked to those earlier warrants.Assistant Commissioner Prendergast did confirm the raids were the result of an investigation launched in January 2005 and showed a high degree of cooperation between Federal and State authorities.He also stressed the value of public information in tracking down possible terror suspects.The Tamil Tiger group operates in Sri Lanka and is seeking a separate state there.</blockquote>

Verification: Dawasata paya keeyak thibeda?

Top Bottom