Australian teenager Abdullah Elmir appears in Islamic State video threatening PM Tony Abbott

Updated

A 17-year-old Australian fighting with the Islamic State (IS) group has appeared in a propaganda video in which he tells Prime Minister Tony Abbott the terrorist group will never stop fighting.

The speaker is believed by Australian security agencies to be Abdullah Elmir, a 17-year-old Australian who went missing from his home in Sydney’s west at the end of June.

In the video he delivered a message specifically mentioning Mr Abbott and Australia.

"To the leaders, to Obama, to Tony Abbott I say this; these weapons that we have, these soldiers, we will not stop fighting, we will not put down our weapons until we reach your lands, until we take the head of every tyrant and until the black flag is flying high in every single land," he said.

He said IS would fight until the black flag was flying over Buckingham Palace and the White House.

"Bring every nation that you want to come and fight us. It means nothing to us. Whether it's 50 nations or 50,000 nations, it means nothing to us," he said.

"Bring your planes. Bring everything you want to us. Because it will not harm us. Why? Because we have Allah."

Elmir left for Syria with another Australian teenager

Elmir disappeared in June, along with another 16-year-old Australian boy.

It is believed the pair travelled to Turkey and then crossed the border into Syria to join IS militants.

The 16-year-old was later intercepted by his father and has since returned to Australia.

In a statement, Mr Abbott said the video "again highlights the threat posed by ISIL [Islamic State]".

"ISIL is a threat that reaches out to Australia and our allies and partners," he said.

"That is why Australia has joined the Coalition to disrupt and degrade ISIL in Iraq and is giving our law enforcement and security agencies the powers and resources they need to keep Australia and Australians as safe as possible."

Shadow attorney-general Mark Dreyfus said: "It is tragic that a misguided young Australian has become caught overseas up in this terrorist cause," he said.

"We have been working with the Government to do all we can to prevent Australians from travelling overseas to join the foreign conflict in Syria and become further radicalised."

Expert says video is obvious IS recruitment pitch

Greg Barton, a director at the Global Terrorism Research Centre, said the video is obviously a recruitment pitch.

"Of course part of the appeal of the video is here's a kid from Bankstown, now he's with the Syrian fighters and he's right in the middle of the action," he told 7.30.

"And that, for kids, is attractive."

Mr Barton said the video may appeal to Elmir's peers.

"His actual speech is rather banal, but rather banal by our expectations," he said.

"But for teenagers or 20-something young men, it’s probably quite moving."

Former AFP counter-terrorism intelligence analyst, Leah Farrall, said Mr Abbott's own rhetoric had fed into the ISIS propaganda cycle.

"I think the Australian Prime Minister has a responsibility to brief the Australian public when there are legislative changes involved and when the threat level has changed," she told 7.30.

"But over and beyond that I think the rhetoric that has been used to address the situation, the Team Australia element and a lot more bravado-based statements that came out in situations like this, should be toned down because it just gives political oxygen to the other side."

Muslim community leader says video sends 'wrong message'

Sydney Muslim community leader, Jamal Rifi, used his contacts in Lebanon, where his brother is justice minister, to try and find Elmir and his 16-year-old friend when they originally left Australia.

Mr Rifi said today's video is distressing.

"What I saw today made me very upset with a heavy heart because that was a death sentence for this boy," he told 7.30.

"[It] also sent all the wrong messages to his family; I really feel for them, because today they probably have realised that he'll no longer be able to come back to Australia."

"To end up where he is right now is something I don't wish anyone from our family, from our community, from our society... to end up where he is right now."

Topics: terrorism, unrest-conflict-and-war, government-and-politics, federal-government

First posted