Group of Peaceful Religious Men Planned Mass Murder

They somehow have misinterpreted the peaceful teachings of the Prophet Mohamed in the Quran.

That or this is some evil plot by the Joooos to get them.

AN alleged home-grown terror group in Melbourne's suburbs who sought inspiration from al-Qa'ida planned to blow up football stadiums and train stations and talked of killing 1000 people, the Victorian Supreme Court was told yesterday.

The court also heard that the group's leader and self-proclaimed Islamic cleric Abdul Nacer Benbrika believed such a terrorist attack on Australian soil, in the pursuit of Islamic jihad, was justified because Australia was "a land at war".

"The kind of terrorist act contemplated by the organisation included a bombing attack where maximum damage and loss of life could be inflicted, such as at a football ground or a railway station," prosecutor Richard Maidment SC told the 15-member jury on the opening day of an expected nine-month trial of Mr Benbrika, 47, and 11 other Muslim men on a series of terrorism-related charges.

The 12 accused are appearing before judge Bernard Bongiorno, each facing a charge of being a member of a terrorist organisation. They have all pleaded not guilty to this charge and to other terrorism-related charges.

Mr Maidment said telephone intercepts revealed Mr Benbrika, in conversation with another of the accused, believed a large-scale attack was necessary.

"He told (co-accused Abdullah) Merhi that the group should 'not just kill one or two or three', they should 'do a big thing'," Mr Maidment said. Mr Merhi then said "Like Spain?", an apparent reference to the bombing attacks on train travellers in Spain in 2004 that left 191 people dead and about 2000 injured. "Then as the conversation went on, in reference to the presence of Australian troops in Iraq, Benbrika said to Mr Merhi: 'When we are in Australia, when we do something, they stop to send the troops. If you kill here a thousand, the Government is going to think, because if you get large numbers here, the Government will listen'," Mr Maidment said.

Yes, just like Spain, where the chicken-bleep PM ran like a dog once they were attacked.

The court heard Mr Benbrika was prepared to sacrifice "women, children and the aged" in any act of violent jihad. He believed it to be "halal" (permitted under Islamic law) to seize the wealth and shed the blood of the kufar (infidels), which he believed included all people who did not believe in violent jihad.

Mr Benbrika, described as the hub of the group, was a keen follower of Osama bin Laden, the court heard.