17/05/24
Alleged Islamic State terrorist Neil Prakash has moderated his views, federal police investigator says
Detective tells Melbourne court he believes accused terrorist Neil Prakash no longer holds extremist views after experiencing the conditions in Syria.
One of Australia’s most notorious alleged terrorists no longer holds his extremist views, according to the investigator leading the federal police probe into him.
Neil Christopher Prakash is facing Melbourne magistrates court accused of six terrorism-related offences, including engaging in hostile activity in a foreign state, being a member of a terrorist organisation and advocating terrorism.
The Australian federal police’s joint counter-terrorism team case manager Det Sr Const Dennis Scott is continuing to provide evidence in a committal hearing on Thursday.
Prakash left Melbourne and travelled to Syria in 2013 to join the Islamic State before fleeing across the border to Turkey in 2016 where he was sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment.
Defence lawyer Liz Morgan asked the witness about the evolution in Prakash’s beliefs after he was deported back to Australia in 2022.
Scott told the court he formed a genuine belief that Prakash had “moderated his views” after he and his team spent time talking with the alleged terrorist.
“The discussions I had with Prakash and the time we spent [together], he verbalised he no longer held the violent extremist views that he used to,” he said.
“He is still conservative in relation to Islam but still can articulate an argument.”
The defence will be seeking the help of investigators in obtaining evidence of conversations and communication from Prakash to others through messaging applications that contain evidence of his change in belief.
Scott said it would be highly likely Prakash would have expressed his change in beliefs through private messages to others after arriving in Syria and realising the struggle.
“For those who travel to conflict zones, when they arrive and understand the realities are very different, that can be a trigger that changes their view,” Scott said.
“Anyone in that conflict zone that espouses views opposite to IS would put themselves in grave danger.”
The detective indicated that Prakash had expressed the danger of other jihadists in Australian prisons finding out he had departed from his hardline beliefs.
“For someone who had previously held these views and changed their ways, they would no longer be viewed as true Muslims by those who continue to hold those same views,” he said.
Prakash could have some charges against him ruled out as the defence attempts to invoke a legal concept known as double jeopardy where a court is unable to deal with a person for a charge they have previously been dealt with in another jurisdiction.
Prakash was convicted by a Turkish court in 2019 on charges to the effect of being a member of a terrorist organisation but investigators are yet to determine whether there is an equivalent charge under Australian law.
The hearing continues.
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