OPINION
It’s become a depressingly familiar ritual, every summer, in one of the most wildfire-prone region on Earth. The instant there’s so much as a whiff of smoke, the brain-dead cultists of the legacy media jerk themselves into a frenzy, bellowing, “CLIMATE CHANGE!”
That almost all of the bushfires are caused by humans in ways that have nothing to do with climate change is never remarked upon. That around half of them are deliberately lit, and most of those by arsonists is pooh-poohed by so-called “fact-checkers”. Even as they cite facts that prove them wrong.
That Islamic terrorists might have deliberately started bushfires as a, well, terrifying new form of terrorism, is derided as a “conspiracy theory”.
Except…
Two brothers accused of lighting summer bushfires north of Melbourne were allegedly motivated by terrorist ideology, with one filming himself pledging allegiance to Islamic State and vowing to burn Australian families alive.
“Allegedly motivated by terrorist ideology…”
Epping brothers Ari Sherani, 22, and Aran Sherani, 21, are facing trial in the Supreme Court of Victoria accused of terrorism-related offences at Humevale and Kinglake West in 2021.
Like so many terrorists, they just couldn’t help recording their “alleged” crime for all to see. Even if they didn’t have the guts to show their faces uncovered.
In videos played to the jury, a man said to be Aran Sherani is seen standing in bushland at Humevale wearing a face covering on February 18, 2021.
There he is recorded saying: “Islamic State still remains. You think you are safe [in Australia] surrounded by water? Your land is filled with trees and forest. We will burn your cities, burn your families alive, you’ll all taste the fire. Allahu Akbar”.
There’s no alleged “terrorist motivation” without the magic words for hateful idiots, after all.
The “alleged terrorists” were also allegedly keen to allegedly instruct other alleged terrorists how to commit alleged terrorist attacks.
In a second video, Aran Sherani, this time alone, is filmed saying he’d found a quiet area filled with trees before giving instructions on how to light bushfires to ensure they spread. The footage then showed the man setting fire to trees on February 28, 2021.
“To the kafir may this fire burn you and your family may you all suffer, may you all die. Now is the time my brothers,” Aran Sherani recorded himself saying.
It was lucky no one was killed, or at least had their houses destroyed.
The jury heard the Humevale fire was lit about 3.20pm on a 26-degree day and within 300 metres of residential homes. The second fire was ignited when the temperature was about 27 degrees, and came within 225 metres of nearby homes.
Indeed, it was lucky no one was killed by the bog-standard Islamic stabby-stabby stuff.
While on the run from police, the prosecution allege Aran Sherani purchased a $3 knife from an Epping supermarket and recorded 25 videos. Three of those, Hannebery said, were posted online and in them the accused man spoke of spilling blood and jihad, which the prosecution alleges were acts in preparation of a further terrorist attack.
So many allegations!
[Crown prosecutor Justin Hannebery, KC] told the jury that during a search of the family’s home counter-terrorism police seized an array of mobile phones and laptops.
On those allegedly belonging to the older brother, police found video messages to another man showing a footage of a bushfire set to the soundtrack of an extremist song. The court heard they also found IS propaganda magazines featuring articles that spoke of terror tactics including forest fires.
On those allegedly belonging to the younger brother, police found internet searches that spoke of dying young, jihad and about Sydney’s Lindt cafe terror siege.
Oh, allegedly, allegedly… sheesh, can’t a jihadi just light a relaxing fire, now and then?
Barrister Patrick Doyle, SC, said while his client Aran Sherani lit bushfires, his sole intention in making the videos was not to stage an attack on home soil, but to get a member of IS to help him travel overseas to fight for the Kurdish people.
Barrister Colin Mandy, SC, said his client Ari Sherani was no terrorist and never made an agreement with his brother to commit a terrorist attack.
Cos, y’know, these things just happen, spontaneously, when you’re an admitted member of a terrorist organisation.
Aran Sherani has pleaded guilty to being a member of a terrorist organisation, namely Islamic State.
The Age
I’m sure there’s another “allegedly” in there, somehow.