Australia busted Jihadis recruiting centre

Australia busted Jihadis recruiting centre

Monitoring Desk: Australian intelligence agencies busted Jihadis recruiting centre that was allegedly and sending jihadist fighters to Syria, reports AFP.

According to Australian Federal Police Jihadis recruitment centre was “involved in recruiting, facilitating and funding people to travel to Syria to engage in hostile activities”.

Police claimed that 12-month investigation, focused on the iQraa Islamic Centre and bookstore. Ring leader is a young man who is charged with recruiting people to go to Syria to fight for al Qaeda-backed militant group Jabhat al-Nusra, and with preparing to travel to the Middle Eastern country “with the intention of engaging in hostile activity”.

“Australians travelling offshore to engage in, or support terrorist activities or conflict present a significant threat to Australia’s national security –- both in foreign countries and upon their return to Australia,” said authorities.

Irvine, the head of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, told ABC television there were more than 20 people who had returned to Australia after fighting in Iraq and Syria.

The higher threat level, if raised, would be “because of the influence of Syria and Iraq on young Australians both in terms of going to those places to fight, but also in terms of what they are doing here in Australia with a potential intent to attack”, Irvine said.

There was a national outcry in August after a picture of a seven-year-old Australian boy holding a severed head in Syria, which ran on newspaper front pages, was posted on the Twitter account of the child’s father Khaled Sharrouf.

The Australian father had fled to Syria last year and is now an Islamic State (IS) fighter.