Australian-Lebanese dual national ordered released in Sydney plane bomb plot

The lawyer of an Australian-Lebanese dual citizen on trial for an alleged plot to bring down a passenger plane says her client has been ordered released on bail by a Lebanese military court.

Joceline Adib al-Rai, lawyer of Amer Khayyat, said Saturday the court’s decision was delivered a day earlier. Prosecutors can appeal.

Lebanese authorities have held Khayyat in detention since 2017. They have accused him of planning to blow up an Emirati airline flight that was supposed to travel from Sydney to the United Arab Emirates.

Khayyat has rejected the charges.

Two of Khayyat’s brothers are on trial in Australia for plotting to blow up the plane with bombs hidden inside a Barbie doll and meat grinder. Australian authorities say Amer Khayyat had no knowledge of his brothers’ plot.

Australian police alleged last year as part of the plans, a senior Islamic State commander directed a group of Australian men to build a bomb destined for an Etihad Airways flight out of Sydney.

The improvised explosive device was due to be smuggled onto the July 15 flight, but the attempt was aborted before they reached security.

Police said they had also foiled a second alleged plot involving a “chemical dispersion device,” designed to release hydrogen sulfide, but this was in the early stages.

The second plan was hatched after the first one failed, police said, and was not necessarily targeted at a plane.