Faheem Khalid Lodhi
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Faheem Khalid Lodhi (Urdu, Arabic : فہیم خالد لودھی) (also know as Abu Hamza. b. 1969/70, Pakistan) is a Pakistani-Australian architect and the first convicted Australian terrorist.
Lodhi who was born in Pakistan immigrated to Australia in 1996 and obtained Australian citizenship. Based at Sydney Lodhi is an architect by profession.
Convicted by the New South Wales Supreme Court jury in June 2006 on three out of four counts of terrorism, Lodhi was on August 22 2006 sentenced to maximum 20 years prison time, with a 15 year no-parole time and minimum 15 years to be served. The conviction is the first under a new set of stricter anti-terrorism laws enacted by the Australian Government in 2005. The three charges he is convicted on are: 1) Preparation for terrorist attack, by seeking information for the purpose of constructing explosive devices – carrying a maximum sentence of life in jail. 2) Seeking information and collecting maps of the Sydney electricity supply system and possessing 38 aerial photos of military installations in preparation for terrorist attacks – maximum sentence: 15 years jail. 3) Possessing terrorist manuals detailing how to manufacture poisons, detonators, explosives and incendiary devices - maximum sentence: 15 years jail. Lodhi was acquitted on a fourth charge of downloading aerial photographs of defense facilities from the Internet. Lodhi received 15 years on the first count and 10 years on the second and third, which are to be served concurrently.
His possible targets were the national electricity supply system, and three Sydney defense installations; the army base Victoria Barracks, Sydney naval base HMAS Penguin and army training area Holsworthy Barracks.
At the ruling Justice Anthony Whealy 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.”
Lodhi who is classified as a high security ‘AA’ prisoner will be eligible for parole in 2019.
