Islamic State: video showing 17yo Australian boy chilling and horrible, MPs say
Federal MPs have described an Islamic State (IS) video featuring an Australian teenager as "chilling" and "horrible".
In the propaganda video, which emerged yesterday, 17-year-old Australian Abdullah Elmir tells Prime Minister Tony Abbott the terrorist group will never stop fighting.
Muslim groups in Australia have condemned the video and are worried it will increase community tensions in Australia.
Coalition frontbencher Josh Frydenberg, who is Mr Abbott's parliamentary secretary, said the video warning showed why the Government must act.
"That video is chilling and it's a reminder of the threat we face by radicalised young people," he said.
"And that is why the Government has acted swiftly, but also thoughtfully and in a considered way to introduce new legislation and to resource our intelligence and law enforcement agencies better, so that we can meet this challenge and protect the local community."
Mr Abbott told Parliament this afternoon that he hopes the legislation to crack down on foreign fighters would pass by the end of next week.
The Foreign Fighters Bill was examined by the Joint Parliamentary Committee on Intelligence which made 36 recommendations to strengthen safeguards in the laws.
Mr Abbott said the Government would adopt all the recommendations, in a move which is likely to ensure Opposition support.
Opposition frontbencher Tony Burke expressed sympathy for the boy's family.
"Obviously fighting in that sort of force is something that's illegal in Australia and so it should be," Mr Burke said.
"I do feel for the family members who look at someone who they have known as a child being raised in Australia and just ask the question: 'How on Earth does this happen?'"
Crossbench senator David Leyonhjelm said the video did not justify tougher laws in Australia.
"What it demonstrates is that these people we're dealing with are dickheads - absolute dickheads," he said.
"These people are not sophisticated criminals, they're easy to catch, we don't need new laws."
Greens leader Christine Milne said the video was a "horrible warning".
"This is exactly what was predicted would happen if Australia followed the United States into another war in the Middle East, that not only would it increase the terror threat here in Australia, but that the jihadists would use it as a recruitment tool for young Australians," she said.
'We hope we won't be tarnished with same brush'
Eight muslim organisations released a statement condemning the video.
Spokeswoman Lydia Shelley called for calm and said there was a need to "find out why this was happening".
"Everyday Muslims we hope aren't going to be tarnished with the same brush," she said.
In the video, the Australian boy specifically mentioned Mr Abbott, talked about beheadings, and warned his group would keep on fighting.
"To the leaders, to Obama, to Tony Abbott I say this: These weapons that we have, these soldiers, we will not stop fighting, we will not put down our weapons until we reach your lands, until we take the head of every tyrant and until the black flag is flying high in every single land," he said.
He said IS would fight until the black flag was flying over Buckingham Palace and the White House.
"Bring every nation that you want to come and fight us. It means nothing to us. Whether it's 50 nations or 50,000 nations, it means nothing to us," he said.
"Bring your planes. Bring everything you want to us. Because it will not harm us. Why? Because we have Allah."
This morning, the Vice Chief of the Defence Force told a Senate estimates hearing that Australian fighter jets had dropped bombs on suspected Islamic State targets on three occasions.
Vice Admiral Ray Griggs said RAAF Super Hornets had flown 56 sorties over Iraq, clocking up more than 400 flying hours.
