A Gaza-born psychologist and his son have both been charged after allegedly sharing violent videos and propaganda linked to several Palestinian terrorist organisations.
Dr Ghassan Eltatary, 51, who works at two paediatric health clinics on the Gold Coast, was granted bail on Wednesday after facing Southport Magistrates Court charged with one count of using a carriage service for violent extremist material and six counts of possessing or controlling violent extremist material.
His son, student pilot Mohamed Ghassan Eltatary, 19, was released on bail in November charged with four counts of using a carriage service for violent extremist material and one count of possessing or controlling violent extremist material.
The father and son face up to five years’ imprisonment if convicted.
The Australian Federal Police said Dr Eltatary allegedly possessed and shared violent videos and propaganda messages linked to the Hamas, Hezbollah, Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, Ansar Allah, and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), which are all banned terrorist organisations.
Dr Eltatary was intercepted when he returned to Australia from the United Arab Emirates in October last year, and his phone was seized for forensic examination after Border Force officers located suspected violent extremist material, the AFP said.
Queensland Joint Counter Terrorism Team (QLD JCTT) investigators then raided his home on Pacific Pines on November 13, allegedly found violent extremist material on an electronic device, and charged the 19-year-old.
Dr Eltatary’s lawyer Anthony Kimmins told the court on Wednesday the charges related to material his client allegedly received from his son, and that there was no transmission to the wider public, the Gold Coast Bulletin reported.
The court heard the psychologist, a father-of-three, was born in Gaza, relocated to Egypt, studied medicine in Czechoslovakia, and moved to Australia with his wife in 2005.
Mr Kimms said Dr Eltatary was awaiting a decision by health practitioner regulator AHPRA about whether he could continue working while his case was underway, and hoped to be able to do so.
Magistrate Deborah Mitchell granted bail with conditions including Dr Eltatary surrender his passport, not attempt to leave Australia, and report to police three times a week.
Dr Eltatary will appear in court again on August 3, while his son’s case will be mentioned on July 20.
The 19-year-old was granted bail with a $100,000 surety after a court heard he allegedly owned and shared Hamas bodycam vision of the October 7 attacks, and made searches for “mass murder”, “mass stabbings”, “how to buy knives” and the location of the Israeli embassy.
Header image: Left, Dr Ghassan Eltatary (Family Nurture). Right, his son being arrested (AFP).
