Woman found cash meant for Isis in son’s shorts, court hears

A Sydney youth, who was allegedly given $9,000 to send to Islamic State, failed to transfer the money after his mother found the cash in his shorts while cleaning his bedroom.

The male, whose name has been suppressed, has agreed to testify against the two men accused of giving him the money, a court heard on Monday.

Omarjan Azari (23) and Ali Al-Talebi (26) are accused of attempting to make available to Isis more than 15,000 Australian dollars in August and September last year.

The crown prosecutor Peter Neil SC told a committal hearing on Monday the pair had engaged a younger man they had met at the Parramatta mosque to take the cash to Western Union outlets in western Sydney and make the transfer, including to an account in Peshawar, Pakistan.

Mr Neil said the crown would argue that the cash would "end up supporting IS activities in Syria and Iraq".

It is alleged that two sums of 3,000 Australian dollars were sent on August 6th and 7th, 2014, but a transfer of $9,000 in September that year faltered when the young man balked at the fees. He took the money home, where his mother discovered it hidden it in his shorts as she was collecting laundry, the court heard.

The magistrate Richard Miszalski quipped it was a case of “money laundering”.

Azari was arrested that September and Al-Talebi was targeted in the largest counter-terrorism raids in Australian history as part of Operation Appleby.

The youth, whom Mr Neil alleged was “under the sway” of Azari and Al-Talebi, has been granted immunity by the NSW director of public prosecutions to testify against the pair.

He was granted permission to give evidence remotely on Wednesday after the court received threats against him. Mr Neil said there were elements of the community who considered anyone who “rolled over” and co-operated with police “to be an apostate”.

The barrister Steven Boland, appearing for Azari, said the case against the Guildford man was “largely circumstantial” and there was no evidence any of the money made it to Isis.

Intercepted communications had allegedly shown Azari telling someone he had “been in contact with the guy.

He told me he cannot access the money”. Another intercepted message from overseas said: “Some money has been sent to Peshawar and the boy can’t get it ... the name needs to be changed so that he can get it.”

The hearing resumes on Wednesday.

– (Guardian service)