Two convicted terrorists have been found guilty of fire bombing a Melbourne Islamic center alongside a third man.
Three men have been found guilty of engaging in a terror act by fire bombing an Islamic center in Melbourne’s north.
A Supreme Court jury on Thursday found Abdullah Chaarani, Ahmed Mohamed and Hatim Moukhaiber burnt the the Imam Ali Islamic Centre at Fawkner on Dec. 11, 2016.
Chaarani and Mohamed were also found guilty of attempting to commit a terror act for a failed fire attack on the center the month earlier.
The duo have previously been convicted of planning an attack targeting Federation Square, St Paul’s Cathedral and Flinders Street station on Christmas Day in 2016.
After the verdict on Thursday, screams from Moukhaiber’s wheelchair-bound mother forced the closure of the court room.
“You are dogs,” she yelled and “what are you doing?” at court officials before she was removed.
It prompted her son to slam his fists down and call the jury “[expletive] dogs” before a lawyer for Moukhaiber apologised to Justice Andrew Tinney for the outburst.
Mohamed and Moukhaiber had denied any involvement in the Islamic center fire bombing, while Chaarani admitted he took park but claimed it was a protest, not terrorism.
“He did so with the intention of advancing a political, religious or ideological cause, namely the advancement of Sunni Islam,” Chaarani’s lawyer said during the trial.
After the first failed attempt to burn the Fawkner Islamic center on Nov. 25, jurors were told Mohamed and Chaarani returned alongside Moukhaiber in December with a 20-litre container of petrol and two tyres to keep the blaze going.
The words “Islamic State” were also spray painted on the exterior of the building.
The trio are expected back in court next week ahead of sentencing.
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