Faheem Khalid Lodhi
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Faheem Khalid Lodhi (
Urdu Urdu (; , , ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in South Asia. It is the Languages of Pakistan, national language and ''lingua franca'' of Pakistan. In India, it is an Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of Indi ...
: فہیم خالد لودھی) (also known as Abu Hamza. b. 1969,
Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...
) is a convicted
Pakistani Pakistanis (, ) are the citizens and nationals of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Pakistan is the fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the second-largest Muslim population as of 2023. As much as ...
Australian Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal Aus ...
criminal and
architect An architect is a person who plans, designs, and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...
, currently serving an
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
n custodial sentence of twenty 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 fifteen years for conspiring to commit 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 ...
act or acts. Lodhi was the first convicted Australian terrorist under amendments made to the Commonwealth's ''Criminal Code Act 1995'', in May 2003.


Early life and education

Faheem Khalid Lodhi was born in Pakistan and grew up in
Sialkot Sialkot (Punjabi language, Punjabi, ) is a city located in Punjab, Pakistan. It is the capital of the Sialkot District and the List of most populous cities in Pakistan, 12th most populous city in Pakistan. The boundaries of Sialkot are joined ...
. He earned a Bachelor of Architecture from the
National College of Arts The National College of Arts (colloquially known as NCA) is a public university located in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. Overview The National College of Arts – Federally Chartered Institute, is the oldest art school in Pakistan and the second ...
in
Lahore Lahore ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, second-largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and ...
, Pakistan. In 1998, Lodhi immigrated to Australia and later obtained Australian citizenship. He attended the
University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD) is a public university, public research university in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in both Australia and Oceania. One of Australia's six sandstone universities, it was one of the ...
, from which he earned a Bachelor of Architecture.


Arrest, trial, and aftermath

On 26 October 2003, following an investigation by the
Australian Security Intelligence Organisation The Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO ) is the Intelligence agency, domestic intelligence and national security agency of the Australian Government, responsible for protection from espionage, sabotage, acts of foreign inte ...
, police and ASIO raided Lodhi's Lakemba home and workplace and discovered evidence of a terrorist plot. He was accused of plotting to bomb the national electricity grid and/or
Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...
defence sites in the cause of violent ''
jihad ''Jihad'' (; ) is an Arabic word that means "exerting", "striving", or "struggling", particularly with a praiseworthy aim. In an Islamic context, it encompasses almost any effort to make personal and social life conform with God in Islam, God ...
''. His possible targets were the national electricity supply system and three Sydney defence installations; the army base Victoria Barracks, the naval base
HMAS Penguin Three ships and two shore installations of the Royal Australian Navy have been named HMAS ''Penguin'' after the aquatic, flightless bird: * , a composite sloop originally commissioned by the Royal Navy, before being transferred to the RAN in 191 ...
, and the army training area
Holsworthy Barracks Holsworthy military base is an Australian Army military barracks, located in the Heathcote National Park in Holsworthy approximately from the central business district, in south-western Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The barracks is pa ...
. During his trial, the court was told he and Willie Brigitte, who was deported in October 2003 for breaching his tourist visa, trained in Pakistan with
Lashkar-e-Toiba Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) is a Pakistani Islamist militant organization driven by a Salafi jihadist ideology. The organisation's primary stated objective is to merge the whole of Kashmir with Pakistan. It was founded in 1985–1986 by Hafiz Saeed ...
and had contact using mobile phones registered under false names. The court was also told he helped arrange accommodation for Brigitte when he arrived in Sydney, in May 2003. At the ruling, Justice Anthony Wheally commented that Lodhi had "the intent of advancing a political, religious or ideological cause, namely violent ''jihad''" and to "instil terror into members of the public so that they could never again feel free from the threat of bombing in Australia". He was convicted by a
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 ...
jury on 19 June 2006 on three terrorism-related offences, namely: *acting in preparation for a terrorist act, an offence carrying a maximum life sentence; *seeking information about chemicals capable of making explosives; and, *possessing a "terrorism manual" and buying two maps of the electricity grid, connected with preparation for a terrorist act. The jury found that Lodhi was not guilty of one charge of downloading aerial photographs of Sydney defence sites in preparation of a terror act. In August 2006, he was sentenced to 20 years' imprisonment, with a 15-year non-parole period. He is classified as a high-security "AA" prisoner and was eligible for parole in 2019. Lodhi was denied parole which he appealed but his appeal was refused in September 2020.


Personal life

Lodhi is a devout
Sunni Muslim Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam and the largest religious denomination in the world. It holds that Muhammad did not appoint any successor and that his closest companion Abu Bakr () rightfully succeeded him as the caliph of the Musli ...
and is married to Aysha Hamedd.


See also

*
Islamic terrorism and Australia Islam is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number 2 billion worldwide and are the world's second-largest religious populatio ...


References


External links


Lodhi 'deserves' 20 years


{{DEFAULTSORT:Lodhi, Faheem 1969 births New South Wales architects Australian Islamists Australian prisoners and detainees Australian Sunni Muslims Islamic terrorism in Australia Living people Pakistani emigrants to Australia Pakistani people imprisoned on terrorism charges People convicted on terrorism charges Prisoners and detainees of the Commonwealth of Australia Lashkar-e-Taiba members National College of Arts alumni University of Sydney alumni Pakistani Islamists