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| Pak-born Australian sentenced to 20 years on terror charges | | |
Melbourne, Aug 23 In the first conviction under Australia's controversial anti-terror laws, a Pakistan-born architect has been sentenced to 20 years in jail for planning a "violent jihad" in the country.
36-year-old Faheem Khalid Lodhi was charged with planning to blow up the electric grid in Sydney and some defence sites in 2003 and was found guilty by a court this June.
The New South Wales Supreme Court said Lodhi, an Australian citizen, had the "intent of advancing a political, religious or ideological cause namely the violent jehad".
In its order, the court said that Lodhi be given a non-parole period of 15 years. However, it backdated the sentence to Lodhi's arrest in April 2004, a TV channel said. This means that Lodhi will spend at least the next 13 years behind bars for terrorism related offences.
The court said Lodhi had sought information on the availability of chemicals to manufacture explosives. He was also found guilty on two charges relating to preparations for a terrorist act.
The court said Lodhi had collected maps of the Australian electricity supply system, and that he possessed a 15 page "terror manual", written in Urdu, which contained information about making poisons and bombs. |
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