Man found guilty of plotting to blow up Etihad flight out of Sydney by hiding bomb disguised as a meat mincer in the luggage of his brother .
An Australian court on Wednesday, found a man guilty of plotting to blow up a an Etihad Airways flight out of Sydney at the behest of the Islamic State militant group, by hiding a bomb in the luggage of his brother. •
Police had accused the man, Khaled Khayat, and another brother, Mahmoud Khayat, of planning two terrorist attacks that also included a chemical gas attack on the flight to Abu Dhabi in July 2017, police said. • The third brother was unaware that he was carrying a bomb, disguised as a meat mincer, in his luggage, as he tried to check in at the airport, police said. • But the device was taken out of his luggage when it was deemed too heavy and the bomb never made it past airport security. • Khaled and Mahmoud Khayat were arrested
weeks later after a series of raids in Sydney. •
“The jury this afternoon returned a guilty verdict for Khaled and is still deliberating in respect of Mahmoud,” a spokeswoman for the New South Wales Supreme Court said. • Police had alleged that high-grade military explosives used to make the bomb were sent by air cargo from Turkey as part of a plot “inspired and directed” by Islamic state. • Khaled’s sentence hearing has been set for July 26. The charges carry a maximum punishment of life in prison.
• Prime Minister Scott Morrison said in November the likelihood of a terror attack in Australia remained at the “probable” level, after a fatal stabbing in Melbourne that police said was inspired by Islamic State. • Australia has a five-level terror threat ranking system and “probable” is its midpoint.
The threat likelihood has been set at probable since the system was introduced in 2015. • In December 2014, two hostages were killed during a 17-hour siege by a “lone wolf” gunman, inspired by Islamic State militants, in a cafe in Sydney.