Melbourne terror suspect had access to $5 lakh

Melbourne terror suspect, who is also acccused of being a member of the Tamil Tigers, had access to over $5 lakhs while he was unemployed and he had boasted about his willingness to do whatever was asked of him by the Sri Lanka-based terror network, a court was informed.

Lawyers for the Australian Federal Police told the Melbourne Magistrates Court yesterday that Aruran Vinayagamoorthy had access to $5,26,000 in two bank accounts between August 2001 and December 2005.

It was alleged that $240,000 of the money was transferred to Malaysia-based accounts in 24 transactions, according to The Australian report on Wednesday.

The lawyers told the court that Vinayagamoorthy, 32, who was last week charged along with Sivarajah Yathavan, 36, for intentionally being members of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, bragged about his association with the network in a phone conversation.

The prosecution said an AFP-intercepted phone call recorded Vinayagamoorthy saying, "As for me, I have carried arms. I don't have to worry about anything. I will do anything, whatever the movement asks me. I will do them OK."

Chief magistrate Ian Gray also heard that Yathavan was filmed firing a machinegun while on a trip in Sri Lanka. It was argued that both men should be refused bail because there was an "unacceptable risk" that they would flee the country.

The court heard that Vinayagamoorthy bought 3500 electronic transmitters worth $97,000 between September 2003 and October 2005.

Approximately 70 remote control devices have been used in actions of terrorism in Sri Lanka and in 90 per cent of cases, they have used the same type of equipment purchased by Vinayagamoorthy," the prosecuor alleged.