Bilal Saadallah Khazal (also Belal Khazal) is a convicted

Lebanese Australian Lebanese Australians () refers to citizens or permanent residents of Australia of Lebanese ancestry. The population is diverse, having a large Christian religious base, being mostly Maronite Catholics, while also having a large Muslim group ...

criminal who served a custodial sentence of fourteen years, with a non-

parole Parole, also known as provisional release, supervised release, or being on paper, is a form of early release of a prisoner, prison inmate where the prisoner agrees to abide by behavioral conditions, including checking-in with their designated ...

period of nine years, for producing a book whilst knowing it was connected with assisting a

terrorist Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of violence against non-combatants to achieve political or ideological aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violence during peacetime or in the context of war aga ...

attack. Khazal who was a former

baggage handler In the airline industry, a baggage handler is a person who loads and unloads baggage (suitcases or luggage), and other cargo (airfreight, mail, counter-to-counter packages) for transport via aircraft. With most airlines, the formal job title is ...

for

Qantas Qantas ( ), formally Qantas Airways Limited, is the flag carrier of Australia, and the largest airline by fleet size, international flights, and international destinations in Australia and List of largest airlines in Oceania, Oceania. A foundi ...

Airways at

Sydney Airport Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport — colloquially Kingsford Smith Airport, Sydney Airport or Mascot Airport — is an international airport serving Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, south of the Sydney central business district, in the subu ...

, and a prominent figure in the Islamic Youth Movement.

Background and criminal activities

Born in

Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...

, the father of two was listed in a

Central Intelligence Agency The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA; ) is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States tasked with advancing national security through collecting and analyzing intelligence from around the world and ...

report as a member of

Al-Qaeda , image = Flag of Jihad.svg , caption = Jihadist flag, Flag used by various al-Qaeda factions , founder = Osama bin Laden{{Assassinated, Killing of Osama bin Laden , leaders = {{Plainlist, * Osama bin Lad ...

and it was claimed that he had received training from the

Taliban , leader1_title = Supreme Leader of Afghanistan, Supreme leaders , leader1_name = {{indented plainlist, * Mullah Omar{{Natural Causes{{nbsp(1994–2013) * Akhtar Mansour{{Assassinated (2015–2016) * Hibatullah Akhundzada (2016–present) ...

in 1998. He was also a subject of intelligence reports at the time of the

2000 Sydney Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, officially branded as Sydney 2000, and also known as the Games of the New Millennium, were an international multi-sport event held from 15 September to 1 October ...

. The television program ''

Four Corners Four Corners is a region of the Southwestern United States consisting of the southwestern corner of Colorado, southeastern corner of Utah, northeastern corner of Arizona, and northwestern corner of New Mexico. Most of the Four Corners regio ...

'' has accused him of being a confidant of al-Qaeda's leader

Osama bin Laden Osama bin Laden (10 March 19572 May 2011) was a militant leader who was the founder and first general emir of al-Qaeda. Ideologically a pan-Islamist, Bin Laden participated in the Afghan ''mujahideen'' against the Soviet Union, and support ...

. On 25 September 2009 the

Supreme Court of New South Wales The Supreme Court of New South Wales is the highest state court of the Australian States and territories of Australia, State of New South Wales. It has unlimited jurisdiction within the state in civil law (common law), civil matters, and hears ...

sentenced Bilal Khazal to 14 years in prison, with a non-parole period of 9 years, for producing a book, titled 'Provisions on the Rules of Jihad', whilst knowing it was connected with assisting a terrorist attack that would happen in Australia. In 2011 the conviction was overturned and Khazal was granted bail by the

in Sydney on 7 June 2011, after spending nearly three years in jail. Khazal's barrister,

Charles Waterstreet Charles Christian Waterstreet (born 17 July 1950) is a former Australian barrister, an author, and theatre and film producer. He has written two memoirs and produced two films, and he is now a columnist for ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' after the ...

, said that his jail conditions had been "just one step down from

Guantánamo Bay Guantánamo Bay (, ) is a bay in Guantánamo Province at the southeastern end of Cuba. It is the largest harbor on the south side of the island and it is surrounded by steep hills which create an enclave that is cut off from its immediate hint ...

". The

Australian Government The Australian Government, also known as the Commonwealth Government or simply as the federal government, is the national executive government of Australia, a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy. The executive consists of the pr ...

appealed to the

High Court of Australia The High Court of Australia is the apex court of the Australian legal system. It exercises original and appellate jurisdiction on matters specified in the Constitution of Australia and supplementary legislation. The High Court was establi ...

which, in August 2012, unanimously overturned the earlier dismissal and Khazal's bail was revoked by the NSW Court of Criminal Appeal. While Waterstreet expressed disappointment at the ruling, Nicola McGarrity, a lecturer in terrorism law at the

University of NSW The University of New South Wales (UNSW) is a public research university based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It was established in 1949. The university comprises seven faculties, through which it offers bachelor's, master's and docto ...

, called the High Court ruling unsurprising as it was the only reasonable conclusion based on the evidence. In June 2013 the High Court dismissed an appeal against the severity of Khazal's sentence. In September 2017, Khazal, having served his nine-year non-parole period, was refused parole after a secret hearing heard that the Australian Government received high-level advice that Khazal's release would put at risk public safety and national security. Khazal is serving his sentence in the

Goulburn Correctional Centre The Goulburn Correctional Centre, (also known as the Circle), is an Australian Supermax prison, supermaximum security prison for males. It is located in Goulburn, New South Wales, three kilometres north-east of the central business district. The f ...

SuperMax A super-maximum security (supermax) or administrative maximum (ADX) prison is a "control-unit" prison, or a unit within prisons, which represents the most secure level of custody in the prison systems of certain countries. The objective is to ...

. Khazal was released on 30 August 2020 under a strict control order that includes wearing a tracking device and a curfew.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Khazal, Bilal Lebanese emigrants to Australia Islamic terrorism in Australia People convicted on terrorism charges People imprisoned on terrorism charges Australian Muslims Living people Year of birth missing (living people)

Background and criminal activities

See also

References