Judge bans jurors from SBS documentary

A supreme court judge yesterday warned the jury in a terrorism case not to watch a Cutting Edge documentary that screened last night on SBS.

Twelve Melbourne men are on trial, accused of being members of a terrorist organisation. The documentary he referred to was The Al Qaeda Code (pictured), “a look inside what many consider to be the key weapon in the jihadist arsenal: the use of devastatingly effective video productions.” It was made in Canada.

“Some of you may have seen advertisements in the press over the last few days for an SBS television program that is on tonight on their series, Cutting Edge, Justice Bongiorno said. “It concerns terrorism (and) I’ve seen it.

“My direction to you is that you must not watch that program tonight.

Justice Bernard Bongiorno told the jurors the terrorism documentary would be a distraction to them.

“That is a direction, it’s not a recommendation.

“It is of concern, the reasons don’t matter, but it would be distracting and this is a direction to you, that you must not watch it,” Justice Bongiorno said.

The doco features Abdullah Anas, a former mujahedeen in Afghanistan and the son-in-law of Abdullah Azam, the founder of modern jihad. Anas provides insights into Al Qaeda videos and what communicated threats the West has missed. It also includes Toronto 17, a group of alleged terrorists who planned to bomb Parliament and behead the Canadian Prime Minister.

What a shame the judge did not make the instruction earlier, giving SBS a little more publicity.

The trial continues.

Source: The Age