A group of western Sydney men have had their passports cancelled by Australia's domestic spy agency ASIO because of fears they would travel overseas to participate in politically motivated violence.
The 20 men had no warning their documents would be cancelled by the agency, with some learning of the move while trying to leave the country on holiday, the Sydney Morning Herald reports.
A 'jihad mentality' and the possibility of the men travelling to war zones to fight made them a threat to national security to ASIO, the Herald reports.
One of those targeted, Abu Bakr, received a letter from ASIO alerting him that he had been labelled a national security threat and ordered to surrender his passport.
The 19-year-old was shocked at the move and told Fairfax Media on Friday that he was not involved in any criminal or terrorist activity.
"I have never been approached by ASIO to talk about this," he said. "We have been treated unjustly. My record is clean - shiny gold. I am not a criminal."
Bakr believes his passport was cancelled as a threat because he had been outspoken about the poor treatment of Muslims.
ASIO took the action after the arrest of Hamdi Alqudsi last week.
Mr Alqudsi is alleged to be the linchpin in a criminal group recruiting Australian men to fight with terrorist group Jabhat al-Nusra and affiliates of al-Qaeda.
The 39-year-old allegedly organised travel and overseas contacts for seven Australians, including 23-year-old Amin Mohammed, who was arrested at Brisbane Airport last Tuesday.
From Here
They're Lucky!
In the previous WWs 1 and 2, men from the country Australia was at war with were incarcerated in concentration camps.
http://www.migrationheritage.nsw.gov.au/exhibition/enemyathome/holsworthy-internment-camp/
http://www.naa.gov.au/collection/snapshots/internment-camps/index.aspx
