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FIVE men accused of trying to flee to Syria by boat to join Islamic State have appeared in a Melbourne court for the first time.
Just hours after arriving in Melbourne after being extradited from Queensland the men appeared at the Melbourne Magistrates Court for a brief administrative hearing.
It was standing room only inside, with dozens of supporters of the accused in court.
Among the accused were Islamic preacher Musa Cerantonio, Shayden Thorne, Kadir Kaya, Antonio Granata and Paul Dacre.
Some supporters of the men refused to stand for Magistrate Luisa Bazzani when she entered court today a customary sign of respect practices across all legal jurisdictions in Australia.
Lawyer Rob Stary told the court the refusal to stand was in line with the men’s “Muslim faithâ€.
Mr Stary, who is representing the five charged men, but not their supporters, told Ms Bazzani Supreme Court judge Bernard Bongiorno had previously excused Muslim men from standing as a sign of respect.
Ms Bazzani said she didn’t accept that it was appropriate for anyone to refuse to stand as a sign of respect for the court’s authority.
But Mr Stary said: “They stand for no one other than Allahâ€.
The men refused to stand despite being asked twice, once by Ms Bazzani and once by her clerk.
“It is customary for people to stand when a magistrate or judicial officer enters a court,†Ms Bazzani said.
“I don’t plan to take it further but it shows a lack of respect for this court,†she said.
They were watched by a beefed-up security presence inside court.
Prosecutors have been given longer than normal to prepare a brief of evidence in the matters.
The men will next appear in court on September 22.
None of the men applied for bail.
The five accused arrived at court after being extradited from Queensland.
A large security contingent accompanied the men, who were taken from the Cairns Watch House in the early hours of the morning, on the specially-chartered plane which took off around 6.30am.
The plane hired through the Australian Border Force charter operation landed shortly before 10am at Melbourne Airport with the five accused on board.
It was taken to a private hangar at the airport, towed inside and door was shut behind.
The men were then transferred to a police van, which left the hangar about 45 minutes after the plane touch down.
The van was accompanied by a heavy security convoy, which included unmarked police cars and detectives.
The men were taken from the plane for the Melbourne Magistrates Court about 10.40am.
Late this morning the van arrived at court, driving into the complex via a roller door.
Self-proclaimed sheik Junaid Thorne is at court this morning to support his brother.
The men will appear at the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court to face foreign incursions offences in the coming hours.
The five men have been charged with making preparations for incursions into foreign countries to engage in hostile activities.
They were arrested near Cairns last week towing the seven-metre vessel en route to the tip of Cape York.
They allegedly planned to go by boat to Indonesia and then on to Syria.
Federal police successfully applied to have them extradited back to Victoria after they faced court in Cairns.
The men face a maximum penalty of life in jail if found guilty.
The men will be taken to the Melbourne Magistrates Court shortly.
