freediver
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How is this man able to operate a network of recruiters among Australia's Muslim community so easily? How many local Muslims must be turning a blind eye or actively supporting their efforts?
Arrest warrant issued for alleged Islamic State recruiter Mohammad Ali Baryalei
http://resources3.news.com.au/images/2014/09/09/1227052/583655-d791e168-37ca-11e4-9741-93dc5ce02466.jpg
AN arrest warrant has been issued for a former Sydney bouncer alleged to have become one of the top recruiters in Australia for Islamic State.
The Australian Federal Police arrest warrant issued for Mohammad Ali Baryalei, 33, is for “terrorism-related activity”.
“Should Baryalei return to Australia, this warrant authorises law enforcement to arrest him immediately,” an AFP spokesman said.
“As this matter is ongoing it would not be appropriate for the AFP to comment further.”
As reported in The Weekend Australian, Mr Baryalei is allegedly one of the main recruiters of would-be jihadists seeking to travel to Syria.
He was a close associate of one al-Qa’ida’s top operatives in Syria, former Sydney preacher Abu Sulyaman.
Mr Baryalei, who the ABC named last night as a former Kings Cross bouncer, travelled to Syria in 2013.
The Australian understands Mr Baryalei was initially aligned with Jabhat al Nusra, a terror group banned in Australia but officially recognised by al-Qa’ida as its affiliate in Syria.
He is understood to have been an associate of Abu Sulyaman, who was since become a senior official within al Nusra.
However, as the war wore on and dynamics within Syria’s jihadist opposition began to change favouring ISIS, also known as Islamic State, Mr Baryalei switched his allegiance.
He is understood to use a network of recruiters in Sydney to identify potential fighters, helping to fund and arrange their travel to Syria where they fight with ISIS.
Mr Baryalei is believed to have sent dozens of young Australians to the Syrian front, often to their death.
Among those he is reported to have recruited are Khaled Sharrouf, who attained international infamy after photographing his nine-year-old son holding the severed head of a Syrian soldier, and Mohamed Elomar, Sharrouf’s friend and travel companion.
Mr Baryalei was also an associate of 39-year-old Hamdi al Qudsi, who was arrested late last year and charged with facilitating the travel of six Australians to Syria.
Court documents tendered as part of al Qudsi’s trial suggest Mr Baryalei was al Qudsi’s linkman on the Turkish-Syrian border.
The 33-year-old, who was also a part-time actor who played a small part in the true-crime series Underbelly, is of intense interest to ASIO and the Australian Federal Police.
Mr Baryalei’s family has told the ABC he denies he is fighting and says he is living peacefully in Turkey.
Mr Baryalei’s alleged position in ISIS underscores warnings issued by the federal government that Australians are no longer mere foot soldiers with the terrorist group, but are now in positions of leadership and influence.
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