Australia’s High Court has convicted a man for creating an online terrorism guide. The man, Belal Saadallah Khazaal, published a 110- page e-book that included advice on bombmaking, shooting down planes, and similar attacks.

Judges ruled that a lower court was correct in convicting and jailing Khazaal, despite the fact that his manual is not known to have led to attacks.

His lawyer had argued that there was a possibility that the book was not intended to facilitate assistance in a terrorist act. Judges rejected the argument and upheld Khazaal’s conviction for making a document knowing it could assist in a terrorist act and inciting terrorism.

Khazaal, 42, is a former employee with Qantas Airways.

The charges Khazaal was convicted on were created in 2002 as part of the creation of new counter-terror laws following the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States. He was one of the first people charged under the new laws.

He was sentenced to 12 years in prison, and will need to serve at least nine before he is eligible for parole. (IsraelNationalNews © 2011 08/10/12)