A British-born terror suspect was asked by senior al-Qaida figures in Afghanistan to recruit Australian Muslims to be trained in explosives and sniper techniques, a court heard today.

A British-born terror suspect told Australian police that Indonesian cleric Abu Bakar Bashir was in charge of south-east Asian terror group Jemaah Islamiyah, a court heard today.

Model rocket igniters found in the Perth home of an British-born Islamic convert accused of plotting to blow up Israel’s embassy in Canberra could have been used to set off a truck bomb, an explosives expert told a court today.

A British-born Muslim convert, allegedly recruited by al-Qaida to bomb the Israeli embassy in Australia, felt he was obliged to carry out a jihad, or holy war, his son told an Australian court today.

A British-born Muslim convert was recruited by al-Qaida for a plan to blow up the Israeli embassy in Canberra with a lorry bomb, prosecutors said today on the opening day of the man’s trial.