[lbo-talk] dreamscapes

Doug Henwood dhenwood at panix.com
Wed Dec 15 21:12:10 PST 2004


Sydney Morning Herald - December 16, 2004

A man testifying in the case of an alleged terrorist today admitted to lying about his experiences in Pakistan, where he attended training camps run by banned terrorist organisation, Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT).

Ibrahim Ahmed Al-Hamdi, who has been jailed in the US on terrorism-related charges was giving evidence in the committal hearing of Sydney architect Faheem Khalid Lodhi.

The court has previously been told Lodhi, 34, acted as an official at an LeT camp in Pakistan.

He faces nine charges of conspiring to commit terrorist attacks in Australia last year.

Cross examined by defence barrister Phillip Boulten, SC, Al-Hamdi admitted to lying about witnessing rocket propelled grenade attacks on Indian troops at the Pakistani-Kashmir border, telling colleagues in a paintball group he had seen property damage and people killed.

``So you were lying, is that right?'' Mr Boulten asked.

``I lied,'' Al-Hamdi replied.

Mr Boulten also asked Al-Hamdi about evidence he gave at the subsequent trial of one of his paintballing friends.

He was asked at that trial: ``Did you not recite dreams that you had to the FBI but told them that they were actual events that had occurred to you?''

Al-Hamdi had replied ``Oh yes''.

Mr Boulten asked Al-Hamdi whether he could tell the difference between dreams and reality.

``I hope so,'' he said.

Earlier today, the court heard that Hamdi agreed to cooperate with US authorities after his arrest in return for a plea bargain and the possibility that officials might attempt to reduce his sentence.

But Mr Boulten, SC, asked whether the US authorities had stopped asking him to testify in cases because he has been discredited, Hamdi replied: "Right."

"They impeached me in court," he told the court from the United States.

The court heard that a few months after he was impeached, Hamdi was visited by Australian authorities who quizzed him about his activities in Pakistan.

Magistrate Michael Price yesterday granted a Commonwealth application for a suppression order on parts of the case on the grounds of national security.

The hearing continues tomorrow.



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