Govt lists al-Shabaab as terrorist group

It is now a crime for Australians to associate with Somali-based al-Shabaab after
Canberra joined Washington in listing the militant group as a terrorist
organisation.
The listing has occurred under both the Criminal Code and the Charter of the United
Nations Act.
In a joint statement, Attorney-General Robert McClelland and Foreign Minister
Stephen Smith said the listing had occurred on the advice of security organisations.
The advice of security organisations was that al-Shabaab was either directly or
indirectly involved in preparing, planning, assisting or fostering terrorist acts.
The government has been under pressure to proscribe the group, which has been listed
as a terrorist organisation in the United States since March 2008.
Earlier this month, police arrested several men with suspected links to al-Shabaab.
The men were allegedly intending to launch a suicide attack on the Holsworthy army
barracks in Sydney.
Al-Shabaab gained international attention after the Council of Islamic Courts, from
which it sprang, was ousted from power in southern Somalia in late 2006.
Since then, it has conducted a violent insurgency against Somalia's transitional
government and Ethiopian forces, gaining control over large parts of southern and
central Somalia in late 2008.
With al-Shabaab listed under the Criminal Code, it is now an offence to be a member
of, associate with, train with, provide training for, receive funds from, make funds
available to, direct or recruit for the terrorist organisation.
As well, the government has implemented its UN obligations to freeze the assets of
persons or groups involved in the commission of terrorist act.
Under the United Nations Act charter, it is a crime to use or deal with the assets
of, or to make assets available to, a listed person or group.
According to a statement of reasons for the listing, released by the government,
al-Shabaab incorporates a range of elements, from those focused on domestic
insurgency to those that support al-Qaeda's global ideology of violent extremism.
"Elements of al-Shabaab are linked to al-Qaeda through leadership contacts and
training, both recent and historical, and by al-Qaeda senior leadership endorsement
of its activities," the statement says.