Accused member of Islamic State wins bid for bail
Tara Cosoleto |
A man accused of pledging allegiance to Islamic State has been granted bail.
Mohamed Musse Bakit, 65, made the bid for freedom in Melbourne Magistrates Court after being charged with five offences including intentionally being a member of a terrorist organisation.
Bakit’s lawyers argued there were exceptional circumstances for his release, including his age, lack of prior convictions, existing medical issues and his wife’s dependence on him.
Deputy chief magistrate Gerard Lethbridge on Thursday agreed those matters were exceptional as he granted the application for bail.
Bakit, who appeared on a video link from custody, did not react as the decision was handed down.
The 63-year-old first came to the attention of authorities in November 2020 when he was stopped by Australian Border Force while travelling to Egypt to visit his mother.
A USB stick, phone and other storage devices were examined and allegedly contained videos of an Islamic preacher promoting jihad, the court was previously told.
Bakit was allowed to leave the country but his devices were examined again when he returned to Australia in June 2021.
Federal police did not contact Bakit again until July 2024, when they raided his Carlton home in Melbourne’s inner-north and seized electronic storage devices.
A subsequent analysis of his phone allegedly uncovered 9754 messages Bakit had sent in a WhatsApp group chat created by another IS supporter.
One of Bakit’s alleged messages was a pledge of allegiance to IS sent on December 15, 2018, the court was told.
He also allegedly sent 3189 images, 1609 audio files, 811 videos and 487 documents of IS propaganda, including material showing beheadings and public executions.
AAP