Advertisement

Man jailed for threatening ASIO officer

A man who threatened to "slit the throat" of an ASIO officer has been sentenced to nine months in prison for his "puerile" and menacing antics.

Milad bin Ahmad-Shah al-Ahmadzai, 24, made a series of prank phone calls to the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation throughout April and May 2013, asking to speak to one of their officers who he said was "a little clown".

During the calls, al-Ahmadzai said he was Ronald MacDonald and wanted to order three large `Big Mac' meals.

When an ASIO officer finally called him back the 24-year-old blustered: "I'm going to crack your neck if you come anywhere near my family again. Do you understand?"

Describing ASIO as a "bunch of clowns", al-Ahmadzai said: "come near my family again I'm going to slit your throat you pig".

He then contacted another officer, this time a Detective Senior Constable attached to counter-terrorism, and said "just be careful" before calling him a "putrid dog and filthy pig".

At the end of May last year, officers attached to the Joint Counter Terrorism Team stormed his home and arrested him.

In sentencing him on Friday for using a carriage service to threaten and offend, Judge Ian McClintock told Sydney's District Court that the calls were the action of a "puerile and immature individual".

At the time of the calls the court heard al-Ahmadzai was on parole for an aggravated break and enter after having briefly left Australia years earlier in 2008 with the idea of living in Afghanistan.

Due to his overseas jaunts he had come to ASIO's attention, who then cancelled his passport.

Judge McClintock said he was unable to determine whether the 24-year-old was deservedly stripped of his passport or unfairly targeted by the intelligence organisation.

Nevertheless he said it did not justify his criminality and that the "rantings" contained significant menace.

The court heard al-Ahmadzai had written a letter expressing his regret at his "childish" and "immature" phone calls.

He was sentenced to a fixed term of nine months and is due to be released in November.

He will then be on supervision for three years in relation to his previous offences.