Yoni Bashan State Political Reporter
The Sunday Telegraph
February 16,2014
- 400 rounds were fired in an hour
- police allegedly found Khaled Sharrouf and associates at the property
- officers seized four high-powered rifles at the scene
- property is now focus of a multi-agency counterterrorism investigation
LAND owner is used to shooting parties spending the weekend at his remote property, Rockview. But there was something about the group who turned up in November last year that made him uneasy.
For a start there was the sheer amount of gunfire and style of shooting — 400 rounds fired in an hour by men lying on the ground in combat position.
The ground was covered “like a carpet” with spent ammunition, according to police.
Many of the bullets appeared to be aimed at a large tree, which authorities described as being “blistered” by bullets.
“They were on their guts shooting, like soldiers. It was very strange,” Mr Landry said. “They used, I think, 400 shots in an hour, one guy at a time. They were big guns as well.”
The booking was made under the name Jack. But when police arrived they allegedly found Khaled Sharrouf, convicted of plotting a terror attack in Sydney as one of the “terror nine”, his associate Omar Ammouche, a known counterintelligence target, an unnamed construction industry identity and an eight-year-old boy.
Officers seized four high-powered rifles at the scene.
Now the property at Glen Davis, near Lithgow, has become the focus of a multi-agency counterterrorism investigation amid fears it was used as a training ground by Sharrouf, who is believed to be in Syria after slipping out of the country illegally on his brother’s passport.
According to court documents police were called to the property on Crown Station Rd about 6.50pm on November 9 after complaints about noise. They arrived to find Sharrouf holding the butt of a CZ-brand bolt-action rifle with a scope attachment, against his right shoulder.
“The accused turned towards police and immediately placed the firearm on the ground upon seeing police. There was a large amount of spent ammunition on the ground,” the police statement of facts said.
“They were on their guts shooting, like soldiers. It was very strange,” Mr Landry said. “They used, I think, 400 shots in an hour, one guy at a time. They were big guns as well.”Michael Landry
Sharrouf told police he did not have a firearms license or permit, and claimed he did not fire the gun.
Ammouche was standing two metres away and said: “I thought if I was licensed I could supervise him, but he wasn’t shooting anyway and I was only sighting in.”
Police later said two bullets were found in the gun’s magazine.
Sharrouf was charged and convicted of possessing an unauthorised firearm. Ammouche is still before the courts for allowing an unauthorised person to possess a firearm.
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The seized weapons were all licensed to Sydney man Ibrahim Massri, who loaned them to Ammouche, a licensed shooter whose permit is now facing suspension.
Sharrouf is facing two further charges, laid by the NSW Counter Terrorism Command, for using his brother’s passport to leave Australia 10 days after the firearms charge was laid.
The Sunday Telegraph revealed last week how Sharrouf, 31, boarded a flight for Kuala Lumpur from Sydney on December 6, less than a month after the trip to Glen Davis. His wife, Tara Nettleton — an Anglo-Australian who converted to Islam — has also left the country, authorities confirmed.
It is understood Mostafa Sharrouf, whose passport was used, has vigorously denied providing or assisting his brother to leave the country and had no knowledge of the event until notified by police.
"The accused turned towards police and immediately placed the firearm on the ground upon seeing police. There was a large amount of spent ammunition on the ground."police report
The booking, made for two nights from November 8, is not the first time the name Jack was used to book the cabins. There were two previous bookings at the 160 acre property, with each of the men paying $50 each per night.
Mr Landry said it was the first time he had seen Sharrouf at the farm.
Ammouche’s presence remains of deep interest to investigators. He was last year filmed by Channel Seven spitting on and assaulting Muslim community leader Jamal Daoud over a disagreement about Syria. A magistrate later ruled he was a “good community member and community builder”.
Similar remote locations in far western NSW were used by the “Terror Nine” — of which Ammouche is not a member — during investigations by Operation Pendennis to test and train with weapons.
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