The Melbourne Islamic centre attended by two men charged with terrorism offences this week, as well as a host of other controversial preachers, is shutting its doors “effectively immediately”.
The al-Furqan Islamic Information centre, housed in a nondescript shopfront in Springvale South, announced its closure in a short statement late on Wednesday.
“We believe that given the constant harassment, pressure and false accusations levelled against the centre – particularly by media and politicians – this is the best course of action for the protection of the local community, its members, and the broader Muslim community that is often implicated in these insidious campaigns,” it said.
“This decision has not been taken lightly.”
At least two attendees of the centre, led by Bosnian-born preacher Harun Mehicevic, have been charged with terrorism offences, including 18-year-old Sevdet Besim, who was arrested in raids on Saturday.
Police will allege the Hallam man was planning an attack to coincide with Anzac Day commemorations on 25 April. Another 18-year-old from Hampton Park was also charged on Monday with conspiracy to commit or plan terrorist acts.
The centre, set up in 2001, was also frequented by high-ranking Islamic State recruiter Neil Prakash, who is reportedly being investigated for links to the foiled Melbourne plot.
Abdul Numan Haider, the 18-year-old killed by police after allegedly stabbing two officers, had also attended.
The first raid of the centre in 2012 led to the arrest of Adnan Karabegovic, who was charged with one count of possessing material “connected with assistance in a terrorist act”.
Karabegovic, currently out on bail with the conditions including a ban on attending the centre, will face court in October.
An adherent of the hardline Salafi school, Mehicevic has been taped telling his small band of followers that Australian values are “the values of the kuffar [unbelievers]”.
He said in a lecture on Australia Day 2012: “The [Australian] flag should be a warning to you that you do not belong here. It is the flag of the people of the cross.”
Mehicevic released a statement this week denying any involvement with the alleged Anzac Day plot, decrying the “reports of police brutality, heavy-handedness and general mistreatment [that] have become customary of police interactions with many Muslims”.
