Trial begins of alleged Australian terrorist

The trial has begun of a man accused of carrying out a terrorist act on the south coast of New South Wales, Australia.

Simon Fleming has pleaded not guilty to committing a terrorist act in the suburb of Windang on November 28, 2021 and is standing trial in the New South Wales Supreme Court.

On the day of the attack, Fleming wore black clothing and was carrying two rifles and a silver brief case which resembled an improvised explosive device.

The 41-year-old fired shots into the air and at a car and took two men hostage in a dive shop. It is reported he then made demands from the police and then surrendered.

The owner of the dive shop told the court that Fleming said he was a terrorist and that he had a bomb.

Prosecutor James Renwick said that Fleming was concerned with what he described as white genocide and disliked political correctness, feminism and cultural Marxism. The court was also told that Fleming had a collection of Nazi and World War 2 memorabilia, with a Nazi flag hanging on his wall.

The court heard from Senior Constable Paul Winston who negotiated with Fleming at the time. Winston reported that Fleming told him not to send officers into the shop, and that he had "gas bottles ready to blow". The court was also told that Fleming demanded that the government relax its mask mandates.

Image: NordNordWest, CC BY-SA 3.0 DE , via Wikimedia Commons