Man with alleged ISIS links walks free after assault on Sydney gay couple
Sydney, Australia (Getty Images)
A Sydney man convicted over an assault on a gay couple has been released from custody after successfully appealing his sentence, in a case that has drawn attention over his alleged links to the Islamic State.
Yaqoob Benshabir, 20, whose uncle was Khaled Sharrouf, one of Australia’s most notorious IS members, pleaded guilty over an attack on a gay couple at Wynyard Walk in Sydney’s CBD in February 2024.
The group reportedly shouted homophobic slurs after seeing the pair kiss, before one of the men was repeatedly punched. A co-offender is alleged to have filmed the attack and shared it online.
Benshabir was originally sentenced to 10 months’ imprisonment but successfully appealed the severity of that sentence in April and was released on a conditional release order after roughly eight months in custody. Prosecutors had sought supervision orders to give authorities additional powers to monitor him, but those were not granted at that stage.
According to Australia’s Daily Telegraph, court hearings heard that police had allegedly found material on his phone said to express support for Islamic State.
Benshabir was charged by the Australian Federal Police with a violent extremism-related offence, but the charge was later withdrawn. He currently faces no terrorism or extremism charges, and an application for an extended supervision order remains before the courts.
