David Hicks- back in Australia (2 Viewers)

[Sparcod]

Hicks 'hours away from Australia'

Hicks 'hours away from Australia'
May 20, 2007 07:27am

AFTER five years in Guantanamo Bay, David Hicks is due to arrive home today to serve the rest of his sentence in a South Australia jail, following a plane trip that is estimated to cost taxpayers $500,000.

The confessed supporter of terrorists boarded a government-chartered Gulfstream G550 jet at the American base yesterday amid heavy security, sources said.

Also on board were Hicks' lawyer, David McLeod, Australian Federal Police officers, Correctional Services officers and officials from the Attorney-General's department.

The plane, which can carry 18 people, is due to land at the Edinburgh RAAF base, in South Australia, at about 9am (Adelaide time) after a stopover in Tahiti.

Hicks will be transferred to the Yatala Labour Prison to complete his sentence for providing material support for terrorism.

He received seven years with all but nine months suspended. He is expected to be released before the end of this year.

The Gulfstream jet was chartered from an Australian firm, Adagold Aviation Pty Ltd, at a cost of more than $500,000.

It is a luxurious, long-range corporate aircraft capable of flying 12,500km at an altitude of 15,500m.
The Gulfstream is powered by two Rolls-Royce engines, and its interior hascomfortable leather seats.

Attorney-General Philip Ruddock said Hicks would not be shackled during the 22-hour flight.

"It would not be appropriate for Hicks to be shackled at the back of a commercial flight," Mr Ruddock said.

Mr Ruddock did not rule out allowing Hicks' father, Terry, to meet his son at RAAF Edinburgh when the jet arrived - but a spokesman said it was unlikely.

Prison staff at Yatala told waiting media the Hicks arrival today would be "bigger than the Christmas pageant".

 

[jb_nc]

back in black

 

[Atilla89]

Nothing new here. I hope the guy rots in hell for what he has done.

 

[HotShot]

Nothing new here. I hope the guy rots in hell for what he has done.

which is?...

 

[DeathB4Life]

Nothing new here. I hope the guy rots in hell for what he has done.

"Shes a witch! Burn her!"

 

[HotShot]

"Shes a witch! Burn her!"

lol,

you wonder had he 'confessed' before - would he have been released back then?...
he had the oppurtinity to get out of there and he took it - doesnt prove that he is a terrorist. Just proves that he is human.

 

[bshoc]

Meh 8 months left to serve? May as well release him now so he can come along to all the meet and greets and gay orgies with all the greenies and labor lefties, destroy their votes abit before the election.

 

[bshoc]

which is?...

treason

 

[Nebuchanezzar]

Material support for terrorism...

which is a pretty lenient charge, considering that the grounds for keeping him locked up for all these years was that he was the worst of the worst, friend of bin laden, danger to western society, causation of 9/11. That really doesn't appear to be the case, you know, what with the worlds most biased court only able to charge him with an offense that draws such a petty punishment.

 

[cute.asa.button]

so much for keeping his arrival time a secret for security purposes, they were basically announcing it on the radio the moment his plane landed.
maybe the government allowed the time to be leaked on purpose in the hope that some right wing nut would try and gun down the plane on its way in and end the whole problem for them in one shot!

never know...

 

[BritneySpears]

I don't know why he is happy to be here since he did nt like australia and preferred to live in afghanistan instead. Had he changed his mind and his ideal islamic lifestyle did not quite materialise there?

 

[circusmind]

Lol @ his statement thanking the Australian taxpayer for flying him home. The man is just so stupid.

He's going to have a rather unpleasant time in gaol, though, I fear.

 

[cute.asa.button]

yep, and a pretty unpleasant time when he gets out too i'm thinking, what with all the media attention and negative feelings towards him.

 

[HotShot]

Fuck JOhnniiee. as if get him on a private jet...

 

[frog12986]

Who's David Hicks?

 

[Nebuchanezzar]

Who's frog12896?

 

[BritneySpears]

It already set an ideal precedent for all adventurous australasian men that they shall not go to Afghanistan to aid terrorists.

But I hate the govevrnment for using pvt jet specially for him. They should have made the journey more punishment like, by using surface transport using prison van and ship.

 

[Forbidden.]

It already set an ideal precedent for all adventurous australasian men that they shall not go to Afghanistan to aid terrorists.

But I hate the govevrnment for using pvt jet specially for him. They should have made the journey more punishment like, by using surface transport using prison van and ship.

thats what i was expecting, not ...

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=268278

"Hicks thanks taxpayers for flight"

My parents didn't work their arses off just to pay for a convicted white terrorist's trip.

 

[Nebuchanezzar]

lol. It was such a stupid thing for the man to say. I just can't wait for the first interviews after the federal election has passed (oh how convinient).

 

[samih91]

It fucken pisses me off that it took them five years to hear a case, if the guy was guilty or not, a case should have been heard earlier. It also angers me that he was not brought to australia to be trialled under the australian legal system when britain brings prisoners of guantanamo with similiar cases of hicks to britain every year. Is this unfair treatment because of him converting to Islam. Is the government of all western society bias? Listen to the news, "lebanese", does that sound familiar, but if they were swedish do you think they would mention it. What i am trying to say is that it all comes down to these things "RACISM" and "BIAS".

I WOULD LIKE TO SEE RESPONSES.