Witness describes terror training camp
A former US prisoner has given evidence about a terrorist camp in Pakistan where a contact of Sydney suspect Faheem Khalid Lodhi allegedly received combat training.
Lodhi, 36, has pleaded not guilty in the NSW Supreme Court to four charges of preparing for a terrorist act in October 2003.
Prosecutors allege the Pakistani-born architect was planning to bomb the national electricity supply or Sydney defence sites, motivated by "violent jihad".
His trial convened to hear evidence via videolink from Yong Ki Kwon, a former US prisoner who trained with the terror group Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) in Pakistan.
It is not alleged that Kwon knew Lodhi, or that Lodhi associated with the organisation.
But Kwon says he met a Frenchman when he trained with LeT in late 2001.
Prosecutors have alleged this man was Willie Brigitte, who was deported from Australia in 2003.
Brigitte and Lodhi had contact using mobile phones registered in false names, the trial has previously heard.
Kwon, a Korean American, swore an oath on the Koran before the testimony, part of which was heard in closed court.
He said he travelled to LeT camps in the mountains of Pakistan in late 2001, where he met a man who called himself Salahudin, after an historical Muslim leader.
"It's Islamic tradition when you go into battle, you don't use your real name, you use (a) nickname," Kwon said.
Kwon said Salahudin told his fellow trainees he came from France and had been a teacher.
"After 9/11 (the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the US) he decided to leave France and come to Pakistan to receive training," he said.
At the LeT camp, Kwon learned to use machine guns, assault rifles, rocket propelled grenades and anti-aircraft guns.
But Salahudin only joined the group later, part-way through the combat training, he said.
Kwon told the court he and Salahudin mostly talked about religion and jihad, "the physical struggle for the Muslims, for the sake of the religion".
At the end of the course, Salahudin wanted "to go back to training, or wanted LeT to send him to wherever so he could fight", he said.
Cross-examined by defence counsel Phillip Boulten, SC, Kwon said he originally faced serious terror-related charges and, if convicted, would have been jailed for at least 157 years.
Instead, he struck a deal with authorities, turning informant and testifying at trials in the US and Britain.
Jailed for more than 11 years for conspiracy and firearms offences, he was released on probation in February after serving less than three.
Kwon admitted repeatedly lying to FBI agents and under oath before a grand jury about his activities in Pakistan.
"At the time I felt that I couldn't tell them everything because I was trying to protect myself and other people," he said.
But he insisted he told the truth once he struck the plea bargain and denied telling investigators what he thought they wanted to hear.
"I told them what I knew about (Salahudin) from my encounters with him, from my experience," he said.
"I had no idea why they would be interested in Salahudin."
The trial continues on Friday before Justice Anthony Whealy.
The Supreme Court Building of New South Wales

Six media organisations, including Fairfax, are mounting a constitutional challenge to secret hearings in an upcoming terrorism trial in Australia.

The trial involves Sydney man Faheem Khalid Lodhi, who is charged with committing acts in preparation for a terrorist attack. Lodhi is accused of conspiring with French terror suspect Willie Brigitte to attack Sydney's military bases and electricity supply network.

Federal Attorney-General Phillip Ruddock will issue a certificate to prevent information judged to be sensitive from reaching the public at Lodhi's trial. The Federal Attorney-General has the powers to do this under the National Security Information (Criminal and Civil Proceedings) Act.

The grounds for the challenge are that National Security Information legislation violates the separation of executive and judical powers, required by the Australian constitution. Tom Blackburn, SC, counsel for the media groups mounting the challenge claims that the act allows for the federal executive to intrude into judicial matters by ordering parts of the trial are kept secret.

The challenge will be heard on 31st January 2006 by Justice Anthony Whealy of the Supreme Court of NSW.

In the course of Lodhi's trial, towards the end of December Justice Anthony Whealy ruled that evidence and pre-trial maters are to remain secret.  This ruling is separate to the constitutional challenge.