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SYDNEY: Australia canceled the citizenship of an Algerian-born Muslim cleric who was convicted of leading a terrorist cell that planned to bomb a football match in Melbourne in 2005, Home Secretary Peter Dutton said on Wednesday (November 25).
Abdul Nacer Benbrika is now the first person to be stripped of his citizenship while still in Australia.
“If it is a person who poses a significant terrorist threat to our country, then we will do everything possible within Australian law to protect Australians,” Dutton told reporters in Brisbane.
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Benbrika was convicted of three counts of terrorism. He was imprisoned for 15 years for leading a terrorist group, being a member of a terrorist group, and possessing material associated with planning a terrorist act.
Benbrika remains in an Australian prison despite having served his sentence. Under Australian law, Canberra can detain anyone convicted of terrorism offenses for up to three years after their sentence ends.
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Benbrika’s lawyers have appealed against his ongoing arrest. You have 90 days to appeal the cancellation of your visa and return to Algeria.
Under Australian law, a person can only be stripped of their citizenship if they have dual citizenship, which prevents people from becoming stateless.
Australia used the powers in 2019 to strip Neil Prakash of citizenship, a suspected Islamic State recruiter who is imprisoned in Turkey. Australia argued that it had dual citizenship as it also has Fijian citizenship, although Fiji denied the claim, exacerbating the bilateral relationship.
