Claims former terrorist mastermind Abdul Nacer Benbrika has been reformed are being treated with disdain by an international terror expert.
Abdul Nacer Benbrika, 64, was released from a Victorian jail last month 15 years after he was convicted over a murderous plot to kill tens of thousands of ns.
On Wednesday, Benbrika went public to reassure ns he was no longer a threat to the community after being ‘reformed’ within Victoria’s notorious Barwon Prison.
Abdul Nacer Benbrika leaves Barwon Prison in December
‘I’ve thought about it and I have learned a huge lesson,’ he told the Herald Sun.
‘People should know that Nacer (himself) is not what he was.’
Benbrika’s assurances have been treated with scepticism by those in the business of assessing terror threats.
Terror expert Doctor Ran Porat told Daily Mail history dictated most terrorists never changed their hatred for those that oppose their beliefs.
Terror expert Doctor Ran Porat
‘These people are ideologists. They believe wholeheartedly. They’ve been indoctrinated from a very young age. It’s not easy to erase ideology,’ he said.
‘Many of them are very religious and the fact they spent time in jail – unless you go through an extreme process, jail is not a place where you reform.’
In reality, most of Hamas’s leadership group are themselves former criminals.
Dr Porat said while Benbrika himself posed little physical threat to ns due to his age, he could prove even more dangerous working in the background.
‘I would be worried of his teachings. I would be worried about his friends. I would keep an eye on him,’ Dr Porat said.
‘I would be worried about his disciples, or students.’
The convicted terrorist is subject to numerous conditions as part of his release into the community including seeking permission from police to begin a job or volunteer for one.
Benbrika wanted to kill tens of thousands of ns in an evil terror plot
The Melbourne Cricket Ground (pictured) was among his targets
He cannot visit numerous public places and is blocked from discussing terrorist activities publicly but can do so in the course of his deradicalisation program.
Police can also search and remove some of his books.
Upon releasing Benbrika in December, Supreme Court of Victoria Justice Elizabeth Hollingworth acknowledged Benbrika was not a risk of a ‘lone wolf’ offence, but a risk of influencing others.
‘Rather, the general nature of the risk posed by Mr Benbrika is that he would radicalise others or encourage them to engage in acts of religious inspired violence,’ Justice Hollingworth said then.
The court heard a government’s expert assessed him as moderate-to-low risk, while an international expert, called by Benbrika’s lawyers, found him to be ‘low risk’.
Dr Porat said if Benbrika had truly turned on his beliefs, he ought go out of his way to tell those who matter most.
‘If you want to really reform maybe you should go out and say publicly to his friends, his followers that it’s time to lay down your arms. It’s time to talk about peace and love and stuff like that, not just say you’re reformed,’ he said.
Terrorists claiming to have been reformed only to return to crime have plagued the planet for decades.
The leader of al Qaeda Iraq, Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi, had been caged and tortured within an American jail before he was released amid claims of reform.
‘He went onto create al Qaeda Iraq, which is the ugly father of ISIS,’ Dr Porat said.
Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar claimed he had reformed before being released from jail. Upon gaining his freedom he became even more dangerous
Abu Musab al-Zarqawi claimed he had reformed before going on to become the leader of al Qaeda in Iraq
Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar swore he had been reformed upon his release from an Israeli jail in 2011.
He had been released as part of a deal that saw 1,027 Palestinian and Israeli Arab prisoners released from jail in exchange for a single Israeli hostage, the IDF soldier Gilad Shalit.
Sinwar went so far as to learn Hebrew, which he used fluently upon his release to convince the Jewish state he was no longer a threat.
In 2004, he thanked his jailers for allowing doctors to save his life from a brain tumour.
His release is long remembered as one of Israel’s biggest mistakes.
‘He came back, as we know, with a vengeance,’ Dr Porat said.
‘Before release these prisoners sign confessions or statements saying they’ve reformed – “I’ve changed my life. I’m now a saint”. Nobody buys that.’
Dr Porat said while terrorists had been known to disown their previous lives and live a life of good, they were few and far between.
‘One example is the person called ‘The Green Prince’,’ he said.
‘He was son of a Hamas leader that turned completely into an Israel supporter. But generally speaking unless they go through a really big trauma, these people are not reformed.’