Super featherweight champion boxer, Ahmed Elomar, from Australia was arrested with three other Aussies over the weekend in northern Lebanon. He is being held on charges of terrorism.
TERROR SUSPECT: Reigning Australian super flyweight boxing champion Ahmed Elomar, left, pictured beating Thailand’s Denchai Tiabkoon during their IBO Asia Pacific featherweight fight in 2005, is among four Australian Muslims arrested in Lebanon on suspicion of having links to terrorists. (The Australian)
Ya Libnan reported:
Ahmed Elomar, 24, who uses the name “Trigger” in the boxing ring, was one of four dual Australian-Lebanese citizens recently arrested in the country’s north over alleged connections to the militant group Fatah al-Islam.
The reigning Australian super featherweight champion, who fought on the undercard for an Anthony Mundine fight last year, left Australia two weeks ago with his wife and two young children.
Sydney Muslim youth leader Fadi Rahman said his friend was a devoted family man.
“He’s of very good character, a very kind person, he’s fairly quiet, a family orientated person,” Mr Rahman told Network Ten.
“It would quite surprise me if he was involved in such a thing.”
Boxing coach Tony Mundine, the father of Anthony, said he was also surprised by the reports.
“He was very polite to me and at our boxing tournament, he was very, very nice and very gentle,” Mr Mundine told ABC Radio.
Australian consular officials continue to be denied access to the four men, with Lebanese authorities saying they want to first complete their questioning.
“We haven’t got consular access to them and we have been told by the Lebanese defense ministry that we’ll get consular access once they’re charged,” Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said in Israel on Wednesday.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) is refusing to confirm the name of any of those arrested.
But the family of Ibrahim Sabouh, a devout Muslim who moved from Sydney to Lebanon with his wife and family a year ago, say he is among the four.
The Sydney born Ahmed (left) and Mohammed Elomar before one of their promotional fights. Ahmed stunned the crowd riding into the Homebush arena on a white Arabian horse in one of his fights. This latest news is also quite stunning.
On the ropes in Lebanon … Ahmed Elomar. (The Daily Telegraph)
Elomar’s uncle was arrested on terrorism charges in Australia back in November, 2005.
At least two of the other Aussie Muslims killed/captured this past weekend in Lebanon were followers of radical Sheik Feiz Mohammad who calls for children to become martyrs and labels Jews “pigs”. Lebanese authorities are interested in talking with Sheik Feiz Mohammad.
Related… Two Danish Islamists were also arrested in Lebanon in the last few weeks.
More… Charles Johnson reports that one of those Aussies arrested may be a leader of the Fatah al-Islam terror group.
Previously:
3 Aussie Terrorists Captured- 1 Killed in Lebanon
Aussie Terrorist Gunned Down After Throwing Bomb at Police
