Alleged terrorist Khaled Khayat claims he just an innocent Sydneysider set up by his own blood.
The 51-year-old Lakemba man and his brother Mahmoud Khayat, 34, are on trial accused of planning to bomb an Etihad flight leaving Sydney in 2017.
He claims the bomb was shipped inside a welder, with his brother telling him to buy a timer. The accused terrorist said he put the bomb in a yoghurt container and buried it in his uncle’s Surry Hills home, where it remained for several months.
He claims he never intended to follow the instructions of his brother, but was just scared Tarek would dob him into the police – something he said later happened. “He’s the one who dobbed on me, if it wasn’t my brother no one else knows,” he told the court.
He added that he doesn’t support Islamic State and denied he and his co-accused were celebrating Bourke Street murderer James Gargasoulas killing six people and injuring 27 others when he drove his car through Melbourne’s Bourke Street two years ago.
In texts read out to the court, Mr Khayat replied to a message about the news of the deaths with: “Allah Akbar”
When asked by the Crown why he would reply “God is the greatest” to such a tragedy, the accused said his words had been misinterpreted. “It’s an expression of shock, just like you would say ‘oh my God’,” he said.
The trial is still underway.