Melbourne, Australia: A New Zealand man was found guilty in an Australian court on Tuesday of trying to enter Syria to fight alongside extremists, despite his claims that he was simply on his way to Denmark to meet his fiancé.
Amin Mohamed, 25, was convicted in Victoria state Supreme Court of three counts of attempting to enter a foreign state to engage in hostile activities. He could face up to 10 years in prison on each count when he is sentenced.
Mohamed's conviction comes two years after he was stopped in the Australian city of Brisbane when trying to board a flight to Turkey. He was later arrested, but told authorities he was travelling to Denmark via Istanbul to meet his fiancé.
Mohamed, who had been living in Australia on a temporary visa at the time of his arrest, is being held in an immigration detention centre because his visa was cancelled. He will return to court for a pre-sentence hearing in December.