Three Sydney men have been accused of being members of a homegrown terrorist group over the September killing of New South Wales police employee Curtis Cheng.
Rabal Alou, 18, Talal Alameddine, 23, and 22-year-old Mustafa Dirani were charged on Wednesday with membership of a terrorist organisation.
Alou was also accused of being the ringleader of a criminal group in connection to Cheng’s shooting by 15-year-old Farhad Jabar. The Wentworthville man was already facing charges of aiding and abetting a terrorist act in relation to Cheng’s shooting.
Alameddine had previously been charged with knowingly participating in a criminal group, supplying a pistol, allegedly the one used in the killing, and hindering the discovery of evidence in connection with the shooting.
Dirani was also awaiting trial on charges related to supplying the pistol and knowingly participating in the criminal group in relation to the shooting.
It is understood the terrorist organisation charge does not refer to Islamic State but rather a local ring.
They are the first men to be charged with being members of a homegrown terrorist organisation since seven Melbourne men were convicted in 2008 of membership of a group directed by Abdul Nacer Benbrika.
All three who faced court on Wednesday have been targets of Operation Appleby, an ongoing counter-terrorism investigation that has seen 13 people charged with terrorism or firearms offences.
The trio, already on remand in Goulburn’s Supermax prison, were refused bail.
Alou will reappear in court on 3 February, Dirani on 14 January and Alameddine on 4 February.
