8:24 am, September 15, 2021
A used car salesman who was secretly plotting to join ISIS and fly to a warzone has been jailed for almost five years.
Last month, Car Dealer reported that wannabe Jihadi Khaled Temssah, 32, had googled how to join ISIS’ before trying to buy an AK-47 and fly to the disputed Kashmir region.
His plan was only thwarted when he revealed his intentions to undercover cops as he attempted to buy a gun from them online.
The father of two was arrested in June 2019 and spent over 800 days in custody before appearing in court last month.
The Melbourne-born car salesman pleaded guilty to preparing to travel overseas to engage in hostile activities and has now returned to Victoria County Court to be sentenced.
Judge Justin Hannebery jailed Temssah for four years and nine months, despite the charge carrying a maximum penalty of life in prison.
The car dealer, who kept his plot hidden from even his own family, will be eligible to apply for parole in 18 months having already spent over two years behind bars.
The judge said: ‘You were prepared to kill and give your own life in adherence to an extremist philosophy.
‘Your actions were not those of someone with an interest in, or a loose commitment to, radical beliefs.
‘You were prepared to deceive and then leave your family to give your life for those beliefs.’
The court had earlier heard that Temssah first learned about suffering by women and children in Kashmir through a charity he worked with.
He then became obsessed with the territorial conflict and, unbeknownst to his family, made plans to fly out to the war zone, fight for ISIS and ‘die a martyr’.
However, his attempts were thwarted when he tried to buy an AK-47 from undercover police posing as extremists on the messaging app Wikr.
The judge was also told how Temssah had googled ‘How to join ISIS’ and ‘what part of Yemen is ISIS in’ as well as watching online videos of beheadings and Osama bin Laden speeches.
He also admitted to booking a flight to New Delhi in order to make his way to Kashmir but later claimed he had been lying.
Temssah has now renounced his devotion to his extreme beliefs and his offences were deemed in the low to middle range compared to other terror offences.
The judge acknowledged Temssah’s guilty plea, prior good character, and reasonable prospects for rehabilitation when handing down his sentence.
