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Joseph T. Thomas

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Joseph Terrence Thomas (b. 1973) is an Australian citizen who had a conviction for receiving funds from Al-Qaeda overturned on appeal. He was acquitted of providing resources that would assist in a terrorist act before becoming the first Australian to be placed under a control order under Australian terrorism legislation.

Terror conviction

Thomas was the first Australian to be convicted under anti-terrorism laws introduced in Australia after the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States. He was sentenced on March 31, 2006 to five years prison with a non-parole period of two years. Thomas's lawyer, Rob Stary, described the not guilty verdicts on the more serious charges as a "significant victory".

Attorney-General of Australia Philip Ruddock said after news of the conviction,

"The convictions of Mr. Thomas for the terrorist offence and the offence related to passport manipulation demonstrate the seriousness with which these issues are dealt with by the law and highlights the consequences of becoming involved in these activities".

This was in relation to his travels to Pakistan and Afghanistan, after he married and converted to Islam. Thomas left Australia for Pakistan on March 23, 2001, and returned home on June 6, 2003. Since his arrest, Thomas has been referred to in the media as "Jihad Jack". When he converted to Islam the self confessed Aussie battler took on the name Jihad, Arabic for struggle..

Conviction overturned

The trial was highly controversial, as the evidence used to prosecute Thomas consisted solely of an interview conducted in a Pakistani military prison. Despite claims that the evidence was obtained under duress and that Thomas had been tortured, the judge deemed the interview to be admissable. The conviction was overturned on appeal by the Victorian Court of Appeal in the case of R v Thomas, with the appeals judges ruling that the trial judge should have ruled the evidence inadmissable.

Control order

On 28 August 2006, following the quashing of the convictions, Thomas was the first person to be issued with a control order under Australian terrorism legislation after written consent was provided by the Australian Attorney-General Philip Ruddock. The control order places the following restrictions on Thomas:

  • He must abide by a curfew, confining him to his home from midnight until 5am each morning.
  • He is restricted in the phone services he is allowed to operate (one mobile phone, one land line) and must have these approved by the Australian Federal Police. He is prohibited from using public pay phones..
  • He is required to seek written approval to make telephone calls.
  • He is not to communicate with a list of persons identified as terrorists including Osama bin Laden, Ayman al-Zawahiri and Abu Musab al-Zarqawi (who had been dead for two and a half months at the time the control order was issued).
  • He must agree to be fingerprinted.
  • He must not leave Australia.

Australian federal magistrate Graham Mowbray made the assessment that Thomas is capable of launching a terrorist attack and that his wife has links to the alleged spiritual leader of Jemaah Islamiah, Abu Bakar Bashir.

References

  1. ^ Thomas convicted under terror laws, The Age, February 26, 2006
  2. Thomas sentenced under terror laws, News.com.au, March 31, 2006
  3. ^ The Convert, Four Corners, February 27, 2006
  4. From the ABC's Four Corners program (21 August 2006). "The Transcript: What Thomas told Four Corners". The Australian. News Limited. Retrieved 2006-08-28. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  5. Australian terror convictions quashed - The Australian. August 18, 2006.
  6. R v Thomas (2006) VSCA 165 August 18, 2006.
  7. "Curfew order for Jack Thomas". Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax. 28 August 2006. Retrieved 2006-08-28. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  8. Helen Brown; et al. (28 August 2006). "Transcript: Govt places curfew on Jack Thomas". Lateline. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 2006-08-29. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Explicit use of et al. in: |author= (help)
  9. ABC staff (28 August 2006). "Thomas family vows to fight control order". ABC online. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 2006-08-29. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  10. Tom Allard (29 August 2006). "Jihad Jack wife's terror link". Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax. Retrieved 2006-08-29. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  11. Mark Dunn (29 August 2006). "Curfew after terrorism acquittal". The Courier-Mail. News Limited. Retrieved 2006-08-29. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
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