Australian on his way to Syria or Iraq
A firebrand Australian jihadist preacher has announced on Twitter he is travelling to Syria or Iraq – a move that threatens to create an even greater magnet for would-be extremists.
Musa Cerantonio, a former Catholic described in a recent international report as one of the most influential jihadist preachers online, is believed to have been hiding out in the Philippines for months and is reportedly wanted by the Australian Federal Police.
On Twitter early on Wednesday morning, Melbourne-born Mr Cerantonio gave enthusiastic support to the announcement by the Islamic State of Syria and the Levant that it was creating a Caliphate, or Muslim state, in the territory it has seized straddling parts of Syria and Iraq.
He added that he was travelling to the Levant – presumably either to Syria or Iraq.
”Insha’Allah (God-willing) I will be arriving in Ash-Sham (the Levant) very shortly, keep us in your du’a (prayers), getting ready to travel,” he wrote.
He wrote in another tweet:
He gave his thanks to God for the announcement of the Caliphate as ”a glad tiding for all Muslims”.
Al-Baghdadi is the leader of ISIL – an ultra-violent al-Qaeda splinter group believed to have executed thousands of civilians in Iraq – and has declared himself the Caliph of the new territory.
Mr Cerantonio was described in a recent report by the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation at King’s College, London, as one of the three most influential preachers online.
One in four foreign fighters in the Middle East followed his Twitter account, while his Facebook page was the third most ”liked” page among jihadists, the study found.
He also has dozens of YouTube videos posted online, and his considerable popularity raises the danger that he will be a drawcard for more Australians wanting to travel to the region to fight.
The federal government says that about 60 Australians are currently fighting with extremist groups in Syria and Iraq, and a further 90 are involved one way or another with such groups.
Mr Cerantonio is understood to have been living in the Philippines but the AFP was recently preparing to approach authorities there with an arrest warrant for the preacher.
The development came as Attorney-General George Brandis confirmed he is examining a raft of stronger counter-terrorism measures. He met with leading Muslim leaders on Wednesday morning to discuss potential legislation and also how to combat extremism within Islamic communities.
The Sydney Morning Herald
M. Wassouf