Sick twist in terror cell plot

AN UNWITTING sacrificial lamb was going to be used by an alleged terror cell to carry a bomb on to a passenger jet out of Sydney, the Bulletin has been told.

The evil plan came unstuck some time ago when the alleged plotters got “cold feet”.

“The person was going to be blown up without knowing they were part of a suicide mission,” a source said yesterday.

Details of the alleged plot were passed to Australian in- telligence and police only early last week after the plans to put a bomb inside a kitchen meat mincer on an Etihad flight to Abu Dhabi were revived.

Three of the four men arrested during counter-terrorism raids on five addresses across Sydney on Saturday remained in custody yesterday. No one has been charged. A fourth man, Abdul Merhi, 50, was released late on Tuesday without being charged.

His lawyer Moustafa Kheir said that Mr Merhi was shocked to have been associated with the allegations.

“It’s just unfathomable that he would be associated with anything like this,” he said.

He said Mr Merhi’s family was also in shock and his life had been “turned upside down”.

“He just wants to go back to as normal life as possible now,’ Mr Kheir said.

Mr Kheir said he would review the actions of police.

None of the three men still being questioned was going to be the one who carried the bomb on board, a source said.

The bomb squad late yesterday moved back into the Surry Hills home where spray painter Khaled Merhi lived with his parents. He is the brother of Abdul Merhi.

The terraced house remains a crime scene as police continue their forensic examination. A blue tarpaulin was placed over the roof.

Khaled Merhi and his brother-in-law Khaled Khayat along with one of Mr Khayat’s family continued last night to be questioned by police, but no charges have been laid.

Australian Federal Police commissioner Andrew Colvin has said the alleged plan was “Islamist inspired”.