The court heard testimony from a witness named Almatrah, who was from a government loyalist family in Syria and was in the army. Almatrah recounted attending a sermon where inflammatory rhetoric was used, including calling government loyalists spies and snakes. This made him uncomfortable as he felt targeted due to his background. It was mentioned that Neil Prakash, who had previously identified as Buddhist and was known as Little Chris, seemed to be enticed by the rhetoric of the group.
A close friend of Prakash, named Halligan, testified that he warned Prakash about the group Al-Furqan, stating that they did not seem trustworthy. However, despite initial reservations, Prakash continued to be contacted by the group and eventually left Melbourne to travel to Syria to join Islamic State within a year of being converted. The court also heard evidence from Paul Maley, a former national security correspondent, who communicated with accounts suspected to be controlled by Prakash between February and September 2015.
Maley received threats from Prakash and other Islamic State sympathizers for his coverage of the war in Syria and Australians travelling to the Middle East to join the conflict. One threat involved Prakash suggesting the idea of kidnapping and beheading Maley with the help of an “inside guy”. Prakash is facing six terrorism charges for his alleged involvement with Islamic State in 2014, including engaging in hostile acts in a foreign state and country, being a member of a terrorist organization, advocating terrorism, providing support to a terrorist organization, and entering or remaining in a declared area.
Two of the charges against Prakash carry a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. The committal hearing is ongoing, where witnesses continue to provide testimony regarding Prakash’s involvement with Islamic State and the events leading up to his alleged actions. The court heard how the inflammatory rhetoric used in sermons and the persistence of the group Al-Furqan played a role in influencing Prakash to leave Melbourne and join Islamic State in Syria. Maley’s testimony also highlighted the threats made by Prakash and other Islamic State sympathizers towards journalists covering the conflict in Syria.
