Abdul Nacer Benbrika has become the first Australian man to be found guilty of running a home grown terrorist organisation, and five others have been found guilty of being members in the nation's longest terrorism trial.
Four of the 12 Melbourne men on trial have walked free today after being acquitted of all charges, while the fate of two of the men hang in the balance.
In a sensational twist to the seven-month trial in the Victorian Supreme Court, Justice Bernard Bongiorno ordered the jury to return what verdicts it had unanimously agreed on after 21 days of deliberation - the longest in living memory.
Three charges are yet to be decided in a 15-page indictment with a total of 27 counts.The verdict means the jury has been satisfied that a terrorist organisation existed, and that six of the men were all knowingly members.
The guilty men are Abdul Nacer Benbrika, 48, of Dallas; Abdullah Merhi, 23; Fawkner, Aimen Joud, 23; Hoppers Crossing, Ahmed Raad, 25, Fawkner; Fadl Sayadi, 28, Coburg and Ezzit Raad, 26, Preston.The acquitted men are Hany Taha, 33, Hadfield; Shoue Hammoud, 28, Hadfield; Bassam Raad, 27, Brunswick and Majed Raad, 24, Coburg.
Charges against Shane Kent, 31, Meadow Heights and Amer Haddara, 28, Yarraville are still to be decided.
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