Mosque hit ‘not terror’

ACCUSED terrorist Abdullah Chaarani admits setting fire to a Melbourne Shi’ite mosque to advance Sunni Islam, but he denies it was a terrorist act.

He’s standing trial in the Supreme Court charged over the December 2016 firebombing of the Imam Ali Islamic Centre in Fawkner. His co-accused are Ahmed Mohamed and Hatim Moukhaiber.

Chaarani’s barrister told a jury yesterday that Chaarani admitted attempting to set fire to the mosque in November 2016 and causing substantial damage a month later, but rejects that it was terrorist act.