Accused of planning terrorist activities in Australia, the Queensland jihadist Agim Kruezi was sentenced for 17 years and four months. The court passed its verdict on Kruezi on Tuesday 31 July 2018, after a four-year-long trial.
Agim Kruezi was arrested in 2014 when Australian Federal Police officers suspected terrorist activities and raided an Islamic Center and several other sites at Logan, Queensland.
Agim Kruezi has been a dedicated devotee of Islam and inspired by the concepts of Jihad. Initially, he planned to go to Syria and fight against the president Bashar al-Assad regime. But the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFAT) declined his passport request. This incident caused him to backlash and plotted a terror attack in Australia itself.
Who Is Agim Kruezi, Why was Agim Kruezi arrested?
Milazin Kruezi, Agim’s father though claimed his son as a “peaceful” and “righteous” person, his terrorist activities speak otherwise. When Kruezi was arrested in 2014, he faced a count of seven charges of his terror act until 2016, when additional eight counts were added.
When Kruezi was arrested in Queensland, he was found with a loaded 0.22 caliber semi-automatic sawn-off rifle, tow balaclavas, two machetes, a letter form DFAT rejecting his passport, a photocopy of the book titled ‘Jihad’ and an Islamic State flag pinned to his bedroom. The officers also found 10 liters of petrol, glass bottles and corks, which are basic recipes for Molotov cocktails. He was intending to ignite terrorist activities within the land by “killing random, innocent people”.
Police also found two videos in Kruezi’s laptop- one showed him shooting Styrofoam head with bow and arrow, and the other one containing instructions on how to carry out beheadings.
He was also accused of transporting and distributing weapons and recruiting IS members to carry out his “religious duty” to aid Muslims all over the world. The final hearing began on 30 July 2018 and continued till 31 July 2018 when the verdict was passed.
Terrorist Agim Kruezi Australian Supreme Court Trial and Verdict
On Tuesday 31 July 2018, for the final hearing, Agim Kruezi was brought to stand in front of Supreme Court Judge Justice Roslyn Atkinson. Kruezi pleaded guilty to two counts of charges- preparing for an incursion into a foreign state, and preparing or planning for a terrorist act. Justice Atkinson ruled the act of purchasing bow and arrow as “expression of anger towards authorities.”
Speaking to the defendant directly, Justice Atkinson said, “Your criminal offending was very serious indeed. You attempted to go to Syria and were only prevented by vigilant law enforcement.”
“I see no evidence that your views, or motivation, has changed.” She continued and dubbed him “a serious risk to the public.”
Justice Atkinson sentenced Kruezi for 17 years and 4 months’ prison time with a non-parole period of 13 years stating “The sentence imposed on you must not only punish you but … protect the community and deter you and others who might be tempted to behave like you.
Agim Kruezi Wiki-Bio
Australian nationality Agim Kruezi is of Albanian ethnicity. Due to his Albanian ethnicity and family background, he is extremely devoted to the Islamic religion. Agim’s age was 21 years when he was arrested. Now Agim’s age is 25 years.
On Tuesday of 2018, when Justice Atkinson passed the verdict, his family members quietly sobbed and said: “We’ll see you soon, we love you.”. Agim Kruezi’s parents and siblings have been regularly following the court trial since his arrest. Though crestfallen, Kruezi family is determined to see Agim’s release.
