Muslim cleric gets 15 years

Fifteen years for the cleric but only 4 to 7 and a half years for his followers. These guys should at least get double the time. AFP

MELBOURNE, Australia (AFP) — A Muslim cleric and six followers were jailed for up to 15 years Tuesday for forming an Australian terror cell that plotted bomb attacks designed to kill thousands.

"The organisation fostered and encouraged its members to engage in violent jihad -- to perform a terrorist act," judge Bernard Bongiorno told Victoria state's Supreme Court after Australia's biggest terrorism trial.

Firebrand cleric Abdul Nacer Benbrika, 48, was jailed for 15 years, of which he must serve at least 12 years, while his followers received minimum terms of between four and seven-and-a-half years.

Algerian-born Benbrika had urged them to target large crowds at sports matches or a train station to pressure the Australian government to withdraw its soldiers from Iraq and Afghanistan, the court heard.

Benbrika had said it was "permissible to kill women, children and the aged," prosecutors said. Material seized from the group included bomb-making instructions and video tapes with messages from Osama bin Laden.

The men referred to themselves as mujahedeen, or holy warriors, and considered violent jihad an integral part of their religious obligations, said Bongiorno.