HIS wife describes a loving husband. A psychiatric report reveals a violent upbringing, serious teenage drug abuse and a descent into chronic mental illness. The police record shows a history of juvenile delinquency, a string of minor adult convictions and, finally, a guilty plea to a charge of preparing for a terrorist act.
The life and crimes of 28-year-old Hussein (not his real name), co-accused in Sydney's recent marathon terror trial, provide a compelling portrait of the making of a terrorist and the formation of a terror cell. Hussein was one of four men to plead guilty last year, while another five were convicted last week on the charge of preparing what the authorities said could have been a "catastrophic" attack.
NSW Supreme Court judge Anthony Whealy, who presided over the trial and the sentencing of the four who pleaded guilty before the trial began, said Hussein and his co-conspirators were devout Muslims who believed Islam was under attack, it was their obligation to defend it, and the primary means of doing so was jihad, which included the killing of "infidels".
Hussein was born in Australia to Lebanese parents in 1981. He had a difficult relationship with his father which, in Whealy's words, included "considerable violence". He was expelled from school in year 9 for violent conduct and fell into "bad company", juvenile crime and heavy use of amphetamines, ecstasy and LSD.
He was diagnosed with depression at 18. The judge said his drug use was a "significant factor" in the subsequent onset of hallucinations, delusions and paranoia, and ultimately a diagnosis of schizophrenia in 2002.
Married under Islamic law to an Australian Muslim convert, Hussein worked intermittently as a labourer in the building industry but ended up on a disability support pension, unable to work. He turned to religion for solace and support.
The psychologist who interviewed him in prison wrote: "After he began to realise he had a problem, he began to hang out with Muslims. They reminded him of God. He attended mosque regularly (because) this made him relaxed."
Hussein attended the Haldon Street prayer room in Lakemba, which was a magnet for a crowd of similarly lost souls. Many of them were former street hoodlums with a history of drug use and petty crime who had turned to Islam to straighten out their lives.
He gravitated to a group of like-minded men from similar backgrounds, who embraced the aggressive and empowering brand of Islam that was popular among some who frequented the prayer room.
The path to radicalisation for young men such as Hussein and his cohorts is well trodden. It is described in a police intelligence report, which led to the Sydney cell's arrest.
"Belonging to a jihadi group can instil in its members a sense of empowerment, control and purpose that few experience outside this collective ... the life of a jihadi allows theindividual to form a perception of their new self, frequently in contrast to their previous existence, as someone of importance and influence."
Their new-found self-esteem is further enhanced by a conviction that they are "doing God's work", the report says.
"An opinion that one is protecting victimised Muslims throughout the world can instil a feeling of exclusivity, elevating one's own sense of self-importance and purpose."
The report says these individuals undergo "a cognitive transformation" that allows them to embrace "a world view which makes violence not only acceptable but also an absolute necessity".
In addition to rookies such as Hussein, the crowd at the prayer room included a group of older men who had already embraced the concept of militant jihad.
They included one man, convicted last week, who had been under surveillance since at least 2000, when the remnants of a military-style training camp were found on a rural property owned by his family in NSW.
Another was a Bangladeshi-born man, also convicted last week, who was under watch for his links with the Indonesian militant group Jemaah Islamiah and the French terrorist Willie Brigitte.
Two other men who cannot be named were on the ASIO watch-list, because both were believed to have trained with the Pakistani militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba.
This hard core of radicals believed Australia was a "land of war", which made it an enemy because Australian troops were involved in fighting Muslims overseas.
In January 2005, Hussein was heard in a covertly recorded conversation with one of his co-conspirators discussing the role of Australian forces in Iraq, Afghanistan and East Timor, and referring to Australia as "a stuffed-up country" and "the sons of dogs".
One of the men who pleaded guilty, who cannot be named for legal reasons, told a forensic psychologist in prison that the events of September 11, 2001, had a profound impact on him. He was visited twice by ASIO officers, apparently because he was known to attend the Lakemba prayer room. He said he began to worry about his family's safety and about what he saw as the persecution of Muslims worldwide.
The psychologist wrote: "He began to question the morality and motives of world powers and the situation of Muslims worldwide. In the context of the group of young Muslim men who centred on the mosque he said his consciousness was heightened and he interpreted things he heard as justifying retribution."
The man who, like Hussein, had a history of family violence and drug abuse, told the psychologist "his religious fervour became a vehicle for past unresolved anger about his own life".
It was the London bombings of July 7, 2005, in which 52 people were killed, that triggered this individual into action, according to the psychologist's report.
"He recalls being impressed by the impact that event had on London. He understood from news reports that the city was brought to a standstill and the communication network was disabled ... He was struck by the magnitude of the impact and thought it had probably made many more people aware of the plight of the people of Iraq and the interference of the United States."
He claimed his intention was to create the same impact without claiming casualties.
"(He) said he thought if he could do something similar in Australia without hurting people, it would extend awareness of aggression against Muslims and alert Australians to oppose the government and stop the nation's alliance with the United States."
The man told the psychologist he researched the London bombings and found that hydrogen peroxide was an ingredient in the explosive TATP, known as "the mother of Satan". He said he became obsessed with collecting bottles of the chemical. He claimed he had no idea what he would do with it but felt he was "doing something".
"I felt a sense of satisfaction ... it was letting out my anger," he said. At the same time, others in the cell were placing orders for hundreds of litres of chemicals that are known precursors for the high-powered explosives favoured by terrorists.
In October 2005, in one of the final acts of the terror conspiracy, Hussein was filmed on a CCTV camera in a suburban BigW store in Sydney, accompanied by two of his co-conspirators. He had stolen six clocks and 140 batteries and hidden them in an empty box. He later confessed that the theft constituted an act in preparation for a terrorist act.
Whealy said the items Hussein had stolen were "capable of constructing six timed explosive devices, each of which could have detonated a number of explosive devices, which could have caused at least serious damage to property and possible loss of life".
The judge found there was no evidence that any target had been selected but said this did not mitigate the criminality of the terrorists in preparing for such an act.
Hussein was sentenced last month to seven years in prison with a minimum of five years and three months, discounted because of his mental illness. Whealy said it may be the case, as Hussein's lawyer argued, that he was influenced by others who took advantage of his mental illness, but added there was no evidence to support this.
His non-parole period ended last week and he was released the day before five of his co-accused were convicted.
The psychologist who examined him said that as a result of finally receiving appropriate medical treatment, the 28-year-old had made a "remarkable recovery" from his mental illness, which his lawyer claimed was a significant factor in his crimes.
He said that Hussein was now a "remarkably different person" no longer holds extreme religious views and is unlikely to further offend.
Hussein's wife told the court that the couple wished to move to the country make a new start in life.
She said her husband regrets having missed out on his married life during the four years he spent in prison, and wants to start a career and make something of himself.
She added that she is prepared to support him and that there are "many people who love and care for him".
In handing down the sentence that allowed Hussein to be freed last week, Whealy accepted there is some evidence he has moved away from his former extremist views, but cautioned that if he returns to the mosque, he and his family will have to take "special care" that he is not exposed to extremist influence.
Australia's counter-terrorism authorities will no doubt be paying very close attention to his every future move.
Sally Neighbour is a senior reporter with The Australian and ABC's Four Corners and author of In the Shadow of Swords and The Mother of Hussein.
