8 Section 100.1 of the Code defined the term "organisation" as -
"organisation means a body corporate or an unincorporated body, whether or not the body:
(a) is based outside Australia; or
(b) consists of persons who are not Australian citizens; or
(c) is part of a larger organisation."
9 Section 102.1 of the Code defined the term "terrorist organization" as -
"(a) an organisation that is directly or indirectly engaged in, preparing, planning, assisting in or fostering the doing of a terrorist act (whether or not a terrorist act occurs); or
(b) an organisation that is specified by the regulations for the purposes of this paragraph (see subsections (2), (3) and (4))."
10 Section 100.1 defined the term "terrorist act" as follows -
" (a) the action falls within subsection (2) and does not fall within subsection (3); and
(b) the action is done or the threat is made with the intention of advancing a political, religious or ideological cause; and
(c) the action is done or the threat is made with the intention of:
(i) coercing, or influencing by intimidation, the government of the Commonwealth or a State, Territory or foreign country, or of part of a State, Territory or foreign country; or
(ii) intimidating the public or a section of the public."
The Crown case as particularised
11 The prosecution alleges that the accused received training from an organisation known as Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). Although LeT is now prescribed as a terrorist organisation in the Regulations made under the Code, this did not occur until late 2003, which was after the accused allegedly committed the offence. The prosecution cannot therefore rely on this prescription but must otherwise establish by admissible evidence capable of proving the fact, if it be the fact, that LeT was a "terrorist organization" at the relevant time. The prosecution alleges, in this respect, that LeT was directly or indirectly engaged in, preparing, planning, assisting in or fostering the doing of a "terrorist act", namely action that -
(a) was to be done with the intention of advancing a political, religious or ideological cause, namely the restoration of control of Indian-occupied Kashmir to Muslims;
(b) was done or was to be done with the intention of coercing, or influencing by intimidation, the government of India or intimidating the public or a section of the public (including members of the Indian armed services), actually or potentially serving in the region of Indian-occupied Kashmir;
(c) was intended to cause serious physical harm to a person or persons, namely members of the Indian armed forces serving in the area of Indian-occupied Kashmir;
(d) was intended to endanger the life of such a person; or
(e) was intended to create a serious risk to the health or safety of the public or a section of the public, namely members of the Indian armed forces serving in Indian-occupied Kashmir, or the health and safety of members of the public who might be put at risk as a result of actions against such members of the Indian armed forces.
12 On 20 March 2003, the accused returned to Sydney from Pakistan, where he had, it is alleged, trained for twenty-one days at a camp operated by LeT. Upon his arrival in Australia, his baggage was searched and Customs officers located a number of books, printed material and notebooks. This material referred amongst other things to weapons, oil and gas pipelines in central Asia, articles about events in Afghanistan and a letter by him addressed to his family in which he stated that he was going to Kashmir for "jihad" and that he intended to join LeT. Having seized this material, however, the accused was allowed to go freely on his way and was not subjected to any further action by the authorities, at least any action which came to his attention.
13 It seems almost certain that the action taken against the accused by the authorities was instigated by his being connected with one Faheem Lodhi. He had met Lodhi at a family occasion long before he went to Pakistan. It seems his mother and Lodhi's wife were good friends. His relationship with Lodhi developed and was, perhaps, the major reason for his going to Pakistan. At all events, it appears that he had some continuing communication with Lodhi after his return and that it was this that excited the interest and instigated the actions of the authorities that led to the interviews here in question and his ultimately being charged.
ASIO officers meet the accused
14 At 7.25pm on 6 November 2003, twenty or so ASIO and four or five police officers, all in plain clothes, attended with a search warrant at the home where the accused lived with his parents and three brothers. Entry was given to the premises by the accused's mother when a search warrant was shown to her. His father was in Pakistan at the time. The warrant has been tendered. It is unnecessary to say more about it than that it authorised a search of the premises for certain purposes. It is important to note that did not justify any detention of any kind of any person for any purpose except if to do so was necessary for the purpose of conducting the search. It is not disputed that there was no obstruction to the execution of the warrant and no call for any restraint of any person.
15 Earlier in that day the accused had been under surveillance by ASIO. He had been at the University of New South Wales, where he was (and is) a student. The records show that at 5.53pm he boarded a train "from the University of New South Wales" to Blacktown. I interpolate that, of course, there is no station at the University and I assume this is a reference to some other station in near proximity, perhaps in the city. At all events, at 6.35pm a surveillance officer reported that the accused was expected to arrive at Blacktown train station in approximately twenty minutes. Waiting for the accused in the car park near Blacktown railway station were three ASIO officers, B14, B15 and B16. Although B15 and B16 say that they saw the accused and his younger brother enter the car park at about 7.15pm, B14 said that this happened at about 6.30pm. It may be that in the end nothing depends upon this (and the officers were not cross-examined about it) but I think it doubtful that the time of 7.15pm is accurate. Be that as it may, B16 says that he and B15 approached the accused and his young brother whilst B14 remained in an ASIO vehicle nearby. B15 went up to the accused and the following conversation was said to have occurred -
I said: "Izhar Ul-Haque?"
UL-HAQUE said: "Yes."
I said: "I am B15. I am an officer of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation and I would like to have a private discussion with you and we need to have that discussion now."
He said: "OK."
I said: "We'd like you to accompany us in our car and we'd like to go somewhere else and have a private discussion with you about an important matter."
He said: "OK, but what about my brother?"
I said: "We have no interest in having a discussion with your brother. Why don't you give your brother your car keys?"
He said: "But my brother can't drive."
I then suggested to UL-HAQUE that at least his brother could wait inside the vehicle.
UL-HAQUE then accompanied B16 and me to an ASIO vehicle and B14 drove us to Francis Park in Blacktown, a drive of about less than five minutes. During the drive to Francis Park UL-HAQUE sat in the back seat of the vehicle between B16 and myself. On the way to the park I said to UL-HAQUE words to the effect of:
I said: "We wish to discuss a very important matter with you and we require you to be honest with us and we require your full co-operation with us in investigating this matter."
On the way to the park I do not recall UL-HAQUE engaging in any discussion with me, B16 or B14."
16 B16's account of this confrontation is in somewhat different terms. He says that B15 said, after asking the accused for his name, "I want to speak with you because you're in serious trouble". B16 said that he did not recall the accused's reply, "But from his facial expression he appeared shocked and surprised". B16 then asked the accused's brother, "Who are you?" and was told, "My name is Izaz, Izhar's younger brother". B16 does not have any useful recollection as to what then ensued until the party arrived at Francis Park, perhaps ten minutes after the initial meeting.
17 The accused's account of this part of the conversation differs somewhat from that of the ASIO officers. He said that he was approached by two men at about 7.15 or 7.30pm in the car park at Blacktown train station. His evidence continued -
"A. As I was walking to the car park, two men approached me and one of them said, "I'm an ASIO officer", or, "I'm from ASIO" or something like that and he showed me a badge. I was really shocked and I took one or two steps in the direction I was walking and then that person, whom I later found out to be Mr [B15], came in front of me and looked into my face and said, "You're in serious trouble", and he was just a few breaths away from me, in front of me. "You're in serious trouble. You need to talk to us and you need to talk to us now." He said, "We are doing a very serious terrorism related investigation and we require your full cooperation and it's in your own benefit to talk to us." And at that time, I was with my brother Izaz and he was being talked to by the other person, Mr [B16] I believe, and Mr [B15] said, "We need to have a discussion with you and we need to have it right now and you need to come with us" and I was really frightened.
I didn't know what was happening and I just mumbled "yes", I nodded trying to understand what they are saying. Then I said to - Mr [B15] said, "Would you come into the car with us?" They had their own car, and I said, "What about my brother? I was supposed to take him home in the car?" and he said, "Give the keys to him." But I said, "He can't drive." He said, "Well we need to have the discussion now. Leave the other matters as they are." Then on his orders I got into the car and I was sitting in the middle and I'm not sure who was on the right or left, but I was sitting in the middle in between [B15] and [B16] in the back seat and they said, "We are taking you somewhere to have a private discussion and to talk to you." At that time really I didn't know where I was being taken. In my mind a lot of things were going on, you know, am I being taken to a secret location or some secret ASIO interrogation rooms. I didn't know what was going to happen to me and then they took me to a park near the Blacktown Railway Station. I think it's Francis Park, and when we got to the park, officer [B15] told me to get out of the car."
18 The accused's younger brother, Izaz, was seventeen years old at the time. The suggestion that he should wait in the car whilst the officers took the accused to Francis Park was, to say the least, high-handed.
19 The officers were dealing with a young man of twenty-one years. It is obvious that any citizen of ordinary fortitude would find a peremptory confrontation of the kind described by the ASIO officers frightening and intimidating. Furthermore, the fact that he was being taken to a park rather than any official place would have added an additional unsettling factor. I do not think it can be doubted that this was precisely the effect that was intended.
20 To resume B15's account -
"On arrival at the park, B14 parked the vehicle in a car park adjacent to a sports field and B16, UL-HAQUE and I exited and moved to the rear of the vehicle. I then said to UL-HAQUE words to the effect of:
I said: 'You must know why we're here talking to you.'
He said: 'No.'
I said: 'So, you really have no idea why we need to talk with you.'
He said: 'No.'
I said: 'You're in a substantial amount of trouble. We are conducting a very serious terrorist investigation at the moment and that investigation has lead us to you. We have many means of investigation and we hold considerable information about you. What we now require from you is your full co-operation with ASIO in resolving the matter by being honest with us.'
UL-HAQUE did not reply and looked at the ground.
I then said words to the effect of:
I said: 'How do you know Faheem LODHI.'
He said: 'Who?'
I said: 'Faheem LODHI.'
UL-HAQUE was then shown a photograph of a person known as Faheem LODHI by either B16 or myself and I said words to the effect of:
I said: 'We know you know him.'
He said: 'Yes, that's Faheem LODHI. I know him.'
B16 and I then had a further conversation with UL-HAQUE during which we discussed his relationship with Faheem LODHI and the manner in which he maintained contact with him and regarding the use of a code. I remember at one point in our conversation I drew a figure 'Y' in the gravel with my foot. At that point I said to UL-HAQUE words to the effect of:
I said: 'This is a Y. We are here.'
At that point I was gesturing towards the intersection of the 'Y'. I then said words to the effect of:
I said: 'We've got two choices. We can go down the difficult path or a less difficult path. The difficult path would mean that we stand here putting these questions to you like this, having you tell us things which we know to be untrue, and having to demonstrate to you that we know these things are untrue before you give us a truthful answer. Or, we can take a less difficult path which would involve you co-operating and proving truthful answers to our questions and assisting us in resolving our concerns.'
I then stated that ASIO has many means of investigation and knows much in relation to the matter we are investigating. We noted we had concerns in relation to Faheem LODHI and his affiliations. We then had a further conversation that related to Faheem LODHI and UL-HAQUE's relationship with the organisation Lashkar-e-Taiba. The conversation at Francis Park lasted for about thirty minutes in total. Neither B16 nor I took notes of this conversation at the time."
21 The accused's account is as follows -
"The driver sat in the car and we walked about 10, 15 metres towards the edge of the park where there was a creek and the time was around 7.45 approximately or 7.50. Then Mr [B15] then said, 'Izhar, you need to be honest because we have a lot of information about you and we need your full answers. You should know why we are here.' I was really hesitant in what was going on and I said, 'Is it because of the training I've done in January 2003?' They said, 'No, we know about that. We're not concerned with that. There are lots of other things you need to tell us about.' And I could not come up with the answers immediately and they said, 'Look Izhar, we can do this the easy way or we can do this the hard way. Either you should co-operate with us or there'll be consequences for you, and it's in your own benefit that you keep talking to us.' Then they said, 'Do you know Mr Lodhi?' I said, 'Yes I know Mr Lodhi.'
Then they showed me a few pictures and I recognised Mr Lodhi and then they discussed where and how and when I had met Mr Lodhi and what I talked - what I was told in the discussions with him and they were saying words to the effect that whenever I would give an answer, they would say, 'Look, you're not being honest with us. We already have a lot of information about you and if you don't co-operate, things will get worse for you.'
I was really afraid of what's going to happen to me. This went on for about, I would say, 30 minutes or 45 minutes. Then they said, 'We are going to your house now and they are raiding your house right now at the moment', and I was really afraid what's going to happen to my family at the house. Because I didn't know until they told me that my house was being raided. Then they told me to get into the car and I sat in between Mr [B16]and Mr [B15] and they drove me back to my house in Glenwood.
Q. Was there conversation in the car?
A. Yes, there were lots of conversations in the car, and they said that you need to be honest with us, and this issue has gone to the highest levels of government. And if you don't cooperate, we have other sources of extracting information, and we need you to cooperate with us; words to that effect.
Q. Pausing there, when you had the first - after the first approach you were told to get into the car?
A. Yes.