Sydney---Lawyers for a man accused of conspiring to kill a random member of the public in Australia Tuesday claimed Prime Minister Tony Abbott had intruded in the high-profile case and spread misinformation.
Omarjan Azari, 22, was arrested last September in sweeping pre-dawn counter-terrorism raids in Sydney and Brisbane which involved some 800 police officers.
He was charged with conspiring to prepare for a terrorist act and making funds available to the Islamic State (IS) extremist group which last year seized control of large parts of Syria and Iraq and declared an Islamic "caliphate".
Sydney's Central Local Court was Tuesday read transcripts of alleged telephone conversations between Azari and senior Australian IS recruit Mohammad Ali Baryalei, who has reportedly since died in Syria.
In calls on September 14 last year, Baryalei allegedly instructed Azari to kill a random person on the street, film the violence and then display an IS flag.
"Just pick a random unbeliever," Baryalei allegedly said, Australian Associated Press reported.
"Finish him, finish her.... put the flag of the state in the background."
Baryalei also allegedly told Azari that choosing backpackers or tourists from the United States, France or Britain could be even better.
Azari, who has no criminal convictions, is alleged to have said "Yeah" in agreement several times during the conversations.
He appeared in court via videolink from prison, but his application for bail was denied despite claims from his lawyers of exceptional circumstances.
Barrister Steven Boland told the court that Abbott's public comments on the case were "an unprecedented intrusion by a sitting PM into criminal proceedings".
"Mr. Abbott has deliberately or otherwise spread misinformation that has no support in the evidence," he said.
"(It) gives rise to a substantial possibility that Mr. Azari's interests have been harmed by the power of Mr. Abbott's statement.
"The people of Australia have been told that there's a plot to behead people and that was all made up."
After bail was denied, another of Azari's legal team said untruths in the media had been unhelpful to his client's case.
"Our client allegedly took a phone call, a cleanskin (no convictions), and he ended the phone call Australia's most wanted man," Ben Archbold told reporters, adding that the matter would now head to the Supreme Court.
Australia raised its terror threat level in September on growing concern about militants returning from fighting in Iraq and Syria, with more than 100 Australians leaving to join Islamic militants in those countries.
AFP
