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posted by CoolHand on Tuesday February 28 2017, @07:35PM   Printer-friendly
from the learn-anything-on-the-interwebz dept.

Australian Broadcast Corporation reports

Haisem Zahab, an Australian citizen, is alleged to have been researching how to develop laser missile detection equipment for IS and helping the extremists develop their own destructive missile arsenal.
...
"We will allege he has utilised the internet to perform services for ISIL," Commissioner Colvin said.

"Firstly, by researching and designing a laser warning device to help warn against incoming guiding munitions used by coalition forces in Syria and Iraq.

"Secondly, we will also allege that he has been researching, designing and modelling systems to assist ISIL's efforts to develop their own long-range guided missile capabilities."
...
Commissioner Colvin said Zahab, who is a trained electrician, had conducted "fairly sophisticated" research.

Mmm...aybe it is indeed a good time for Australia to kickstart its own space agency? I mean, look, if a trained electrician living outback manages to conduct a credible "fairly sophisticated research", perhaps the tech potential is quite high downunder.


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  • (Score: 5, Interesting) by VLM on Tuesday February 28 2017, @08:43PM (1 child)

    by VLM (445) Subscriber Badge on Tuesday February 28 2017, @08:43PM (#473025)

    Highly doubtful the guy is that low on intelligence.

    I donno man they're very specifically going after him for the "crimes" of researching and designing and modeling.

    If he was mass producing missile jammers that would have been in the charges. If he had ever produced something that actually worked or even looked interesting that would be in the charges. If he had ever tried doing anything, even at the level of astrological idiocy, that would be in the list of charges. So all he's done is thought crime at most. Assuming he's not retarded and ten cops offered him M+M candies if he'd just repeat what they tell him into a camera, like the American FBI does to protect us from terrorism.

    Basically I have done what that guy has done, because I own an old 60s era microwave RF textbook about pre-60s era unclassified ECM gear (like the kind of textbook an EE soon to be hired by Raytheon or General Dynamics in 1965 would have read to get the job) so that counts as research and I've done some fooling around design work with high power LED drivers that could theoretically be combined with some high power IR LEDs to jam an IR missile, or at least jam a 1960s era missile. And I used to be paid to do RF modeling so yeah I'm sure guilty of that. Now having a Nordic-ish name and appearance and not Arabic means I have no personal contacts in Syria and I have the wrong nationality of name for the perp walk in front of the news cameras, so I'm immune to prosecution, but so far as I know I've done everything this guy is accused of doing.

    Perhaps they'll have more details, perhaps the evidence will all be classified for public safety and more importantly self protection of the injustice system.

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  • (Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday February 28 2017, @09:23PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday February 28 2017, @09:23PM (#473040)

    Understandable, and why I'm interested to see the evidence. If all they have is thought crime due to researching things THEY deem questionable, then the authorities should put their big boy pants back on and start acting like adults. They'd better have concrete evidence that the guy knew he was working for ISIL and was NOT misguided into thinking he was making a detection system to protect civilians from an imminent bomb threat. Bombs on the ground, terrorism. Bombs in the sky, bringing freedom. Civilian casualties from ground bombs, terrorist animal scum. Civilian casualties from sky bombs? Regrettable casualties of war, paired with blaming the village for the presence of enemies.

    Personally this sounds more like a way to make searching everyone's internet activity OK in the minds of the people, along with building cases based on "suspicious internet activity". Its the same old quote we hear, but seems applicable here:

    One of the problems with defending free speech is you often have to defend people that you find to be outrageous and unpleasant and disgusting. -Salman Rushdie

    So do we defend all people from outrageous "thought crime" policies? As we all know, there may be good reasons to pass such legislation (catch the bad guys!) but the chilling long term effects are often much worse than the benefits.