Lankan student in Sydney accused of terror offences released on bail

http://www.abc.net.au: A Sydney university student accused of planning to kill Australian politicians in a notebook will be released on bail, after an expert found the sole piece of evidence did not contain his handwriting.

Mohamed Kamer Nizamdeen, 25, was arrested in August after a colleague found a notebook allegedly containing details of plans to kill Malcolm Turnbull and his former deputy Julie Bishop.

Nizamdeen has spent four weeks in jail facing a terror charge – his family and supporters have maintained he is innocent.

Last week, hundreds of people gathered in his hometown in Sri Lanka to protest his treatment in prison.

“The prosecution has become aware that an expert handwriting examiner found an inconclusive result on the relevant entries contained in the notebook,” prosecutor Choy told the Central Local Court in Sydney.

“Without a conclusive expert opinion suggesting the defendant was the relevant author, evidence for the charge has been significantly weakened. The prosecution concedes these are exceptional circumstances.”

Nizamdeen was charged with collecting or making documents likely to facilitate terrorist acts on 31 August.

The alleged list of targets also included the former speaker Bronwyn Bishop, the Sydney Opera House, major train stations and police stations across the Harbour City.

Detectives allege the Sri Lankan national was acting on his own, and despite police telling a media conference he appeared to be an Islamic State affiliate, they had not charged him with being a member of a terrorist 

organisation.

The court heard other material belonging to Nizamdeen – like his computer, mobile, and other documents – did not show he had any extremist ideology.

“No extremist ideology material has been located on devices found in possession of Nizamdeen,” Choy said.

The prosecutor said the NSW Police Commissioner had also submitted a confidential affidavit to verify these circumstances.

Nizamdeen’s lawyer said police had conducted eight hours of interviews with the student which also did not uncover anything against the suspect.

“The case against my client is substantially weak,” his lawyer Moustafa Kheir said. “Police have conducted eight hours of interviews and he’s been quite frank with police.”

The matter has been adjourned to October.