Source : Perth Now news
A man accused of operating as a terror propagandist in an Australian network of ISIS supporters has been released on bail two weeks after his arrest.
Mohamed Musse Bakit, 65, was charged with five offences, including being a member of a terrorist group and possessing violent extremist material, after counter-terrorism police attended his Carlton home in Melbourne on September 23.
During a bail application last week, Australian Federal Police Detective Senior Constable Katharine Dillon alleged Mr Bakit was a prolific poster in a WhatsApp group between 2016 and 2019.
He allegedly shared thousands of files of ISIS propaganda, including execution videos, suicide bombings, sermons from extremist preachers and official ISIS documents.
Constable Dillon said the group was allegedly created in 2014 by Dr Omar Elamin and the majority of members were from Queensland.
It’s believed Dr Elamin travelled to Libya in 2016 to join ISIS and remains overseas, the court was told. No charges have been laid against Dr Elamin.
During the hearing, the court was told Mr Bakit shared a written pledge to ISIS and its leader to the WhatsApp group, although his defence disputed whether this was an actual pledge or a “pro forma pledge”.
He is accused of being a member of the terror group between 2018 and 2020.
Mr Bakit was supported in court by family including his younger brother Abdullah Bakit (centre) and wife Fartun (right). Picture: NewsWire / Andrew Henshaw
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Mr Bakit was supported in court by family including his younger brother Abdullah Bakit (centre) and wife Fartun (right). NewsWire / Andrew Henshaw
Credit: News Corp Australia
Mr Bakit first came to the attention of authorities in November 2020 after he was stopped by the Australian Border Force while on his way to Egypt. They allegedly found a USB containing videos of a preacher advocating jihad.
His home was raided in July 2024 and police allegedly found a phone containing extremist material, including the infamous 2004 beheading of US national Nicholas Bird.
Mr Bakit was granted bail in the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, with deputy chief magistrate Gerard Lethbridge finding there were “exceptional circumstances” justifying his release on strict conditions.
These include his “parlous” heath, lack of prior offending, the historical nature of the allegations and that prosecutors weren’t alleging he posed a risk to the community or breaching bail.
The court was told Mr Bakit had been living in Australia since 1981 and had been approved for NDIS care following a stroke in 2023.
Mr Lethbridge said the case against Mr Bakit “does not appear weak”, but he accepted there were triable issues that could take 18 months or more to resolve.
Mr Bakit is expected to be released from custody on Thursday afternoon and will return to court in March next year.
