A RADICAL Sydney cleric whose video message denouncing Harry Potter was used online by one of the Boston bombers has changed his attitude in recent years, according to Attorney General Mark Dreyfus.
Sheik Feiz Mohammed supports a community program aimed at preventing the radicalisation of young Australians, Mr Dreyfus told Meet the Press.
"Sheik Feiz Mohammed in recent months, particularly in the latter period of last year when there were some quite dramatic demonstrations in Sydney condemned the use of violence and certainly as a community leader he is someone who is getting behind the countering extremism program that we have in many communities across Australia," Mr Dreyfus said.
Screen grab off YouTube website of Australian Islamic Leader Sheik Feiz Mohamed. Pic: Brianne Makin Source: Supplied
"It is about getting young men out on the sporting field, playing soccer, playing footy playing rugby because that is where we want them not sitting on computer screens looking at videos about jihad."
Mr Dreyfus said it was "right people be vigilant" at events such as the City to Surf in Sydney and alert authorities to unattended bags but he added "we are doing what we can and what we should be to ensure our security agencies are properly resourced."
He said the Boston Marathon bombing by Tamerlan Tsarnaev, 26, with his alleged accomplice, younger brother Dzhokhar, 19, after the family had been in the US for a decade had raised serious concerns for Australia.
He said Australian security agencies were working to prevent “lone wolf people who are disconnected from any organised group."
"What you can’t do is ever give an absolute guarantee, I wish I could," he said.
"What we can do is take the precautions that are appropriate, resource our security agencies."
A foreign government asked the FBI to look into Tamerlan several years ago.
Mr Dreyfus would not be drawn on whether Australian authorities had made a request of the FBI with reports in America that Russia was the country which raised concerns.
"It’s the long standing practice of our government as well as former governments that we don’t comment on intelligence matters. I can say we have very good communications with the American security agencies but I would also point out the only link was that one of these men responsible for the bombing had downloaded a video that had been recorded some years ago by the man in Sydney," Mr Dreyfus said.
He said Australia remained on alert and that a terrorist attack could take place at any time.
"Australians can be confident we have since those terrible events of September 11, 2001 we’ve resourced our security agencies adequately."
"In the last 10 years we’ve brought to a halt four major potential terrorism incidents that were going to target in some cases public events in another case an army base, the Holsworthy Army base in Sydney.
"Twenty one people have been convicted of terrorism offences and are serving long jail sentences in relation to those four attempts, or four planned terror events that were stopped in their tracks."
Meanwhile, unlike his leader Prime Minister Julia Gillard, Mr Dreyfus strongly backed gay marriage and called on the Coalition to allow a conscience vote.
"We need to get to here the same position they got to in New Zealand," he said.
"It's our party policy it is a matter for a conscience vote. I think the mood has shifted, the time is now ripe to move to marriage equality."
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