Relief after man acquitted of plotting shooting murder
Yusuf Nazlioglu, 40, died a day after being shot at least eight times by a man with a pistol in the underground car park of his apartment at Rhodes, in Sydney's inner west, on June 27, 2022.
Mohammed Baltagi, 26, Mohammed Hosni Khaled, 27, and Abdulrahman Atteya, 31, were charged with forming a joint criminal agreement to kill Mr Nazlioglu.
Prosecutors alleged Mr Baltagi and Khaled helped plan Mr Nazlioglu's murder.
The trio faced a combined weeks-long trial in the NSW Supreme Court after pleading not guilty to the charges.
While Khaled was found guilty on Monday after a week of deliberations, jurors on Thursday found Mr Baltagi not guilty of murder.
The acquitted man was heard repeatedly saying "thank God" in Arabic as the jury departed the courtroom to continue deliberating on the final verdict of Atteya.
Prosecutors alleged the shooting was carried out either by Atteya or another man - Rabieh Baltagi, who fled Australia in July 2022.
During the trial, Mr Nazlioglu's widow Jade Jeske, formerly Jade Heffer, described seeing her husband shot in the car park.
She said she saw someone covering his head running with a pistol towards her husband as he stood next to their car.
Ms Jeske ducked under the dash to hide as she heard eight successive gunshots and then a further two, the jury heard.
As the shooter fled to a waiting VW Golf, she filmed what was happening on her phone before turning to her husband.
The jury heard her husband's killing may have been motivated by the theft of two rented luxury vehicles from a business in Lansdale, in western Sydney.
The court was told the three accused murderers had connections at the rental business.
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Newsweek
3 days ago
- Newsweek
Israel Kills Al Jazeera Journalist It Claims Was Hamas Member—What We Know
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Israel has confirmed it killed one of Gaza's most prominent journalists, Al Jazeera correspondent Anas al-Sharif, who the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has claimed was a member of Hamas. The Israeli military has sought to back up its allegations using documents and images, while Al Jazeera and a number of international organizations have rejected the notion that Sharif was affiliated with the Palestinian militant group with which Israel has been at war for nearly two years. Sharif had also denied he was a member of Hamas, including in comments issued in the final days leading up to his killing alongside five other journalists in a targeted Israeli airstrike on Gaza City on Sunday. Newsweek has outlined what is known thus far about Sharif, his background and the context surrounding his death in what observers have repeatedly described as the world's deadliest war zone for journalists. This screen grab taken from AFPTV on August 11, 2025, shows Al-Jazeera's Anas al-Sharif speaking during an AFP interview in Gaza City on August 1, 2024. This screen grab taken from AFPTV on August 11, 2025, shows Al-Jazeera's Anas al-Sharif speaking during an AFP interview in Gaza City on August 1, 2024. AFP/AFPTV/Getty Images Who Was Anas Al-Sharif? Anas Al-Sharif was born December 3, 1996, in Gaza's Jabalia refugee camp. According to media profiles, he graduated from Al-Aqsa University's Faculty of Media in Gaza, where he specialized in television and radio, and went on to work at Al-Shamal Media Network before joining Qatar-based international news outlet Al Jazeera. After Gaza's deadliest war to date erupted in October 2023 with a Hamas-led surprise attack against Israel, Sharif became a regular and high-profile voice in Arabic-language media detailing events on the ground, made all the more influential because of how few journalists have been allowed in to report from the ground in Gaza. In December 2023, just weeks into the new conflict, his 90-year-old father was reportedly killed in an Israeli airstrike at their family home in December 2023. Sharif was part of a Reuters team whose coverage of Gaza won a Pulitzer Prize for breaking news photography in May 2024. He had reportedly prepared a "will and final message" to be published in the event that he was killed by Israeli strikes, a message later shared via his social media accounts beginning with the phrase, "If these words reach you, know that Israel has succeeded in killing me and silencing my voice." Sharif was killed Sunday alongside four other Al Jazeera staff in Israeli airstrikes targeting Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, the Strip's biggest urban enclave. In the minutes leading up to his death, he shared videos of what he called a "relentless bombardment" as "the Israeli aggression has intensified on Gaza City." A sixth journalist, identified as freelance reporter Mohammed al-Khaldi, was later reported dead in the same Israeli attacks, bringing the death toll of journalists to six. Palestinians inspect the destroyed tent where journalists, including Al Jazeera correspondents Anas al-Sharif and Mohamed Qureiqa, were killed by an Israeli airstrike outside the Gaza City's Shifa hospital complex, on August. 11, 2025. Palestinians inspect the destroyed tent where journalists, including Al Jazeera correspondents Anas al-Sharif and Mohamed Qureiqa, were killed by an Israeli airstrike outside the Gaza City's Shifa hospital complex, on August. 11, 2025. Jehad Alshrafi/AP What Is Israel Saying? As news began to emerge of Sharif's death, the IDF issued a statement announcing that "in Gaza City, the IDF struck the terrorist Anas Al-Sharif, who posed as a journalist for the Al Jazeera network." "Anas Al-Sharif served as the head of a terrorist cell in the Hamas terrorist organization and was responsible for advancing rocket attacks against Israeli civilians and IDF troops," the IDF said. The IDF included accompanying documents allegedly obtained in Gaza and purporting to support Sharif's affiliation with Hamas, including his rank, salary, military ID number and a 2017 injury report. Officially, the IDF has alleged he was a part of the "Hamas East Jabaliya Battalion." Images have also surfaced on social media appearing to show Sharif alongside late Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, who served as the group's top leader in Gaza and later as head of the entire political bureau before his death in an Israeli raid last October. IDF Arabic-language spokesperson Colonel Avichay Adraee shared one such picture Monday on X, along with a caption stating that, "as we said from the beginning and some refused to believe: Only a terrorist sits in the gatherings of terrorists." كما قلنا منذ البداية ورفض البعض تصديقه: لا يجلس مجالس الارهابيين إلا الإرهابي. #أنس_الشريف لم يكن صحفيًا بل إرهابيًا حمساويًا — افيخاي ادرعي (@AvichayAdraee) August 11, 2025 "#Anas_AlSharif was not a journalists but a Hamas terrorist," Adraee wrote. Images that purport to be screenshots from Sharif's Telegram channel have also been circulating across social media but Newsweek has not been able to verify the contents of the messages or whether they were sent by Sharif. Adraee had previously issued claims about Sharif, prompting the journalist to warn against the Israeli spokesperson's "campaign of threats and incitement against me because of my work as a journalist with Al Jazeera." "I reaffirm: I, Anas Al-Sharif, am a journalist with no political affiliations," Sharif wrote in a July 23 post on social media. "My only mission is to report the truth from the ground—as it is, without bias." Later on Monday, the IDF shared additional documentation claiming to demonstrate Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad affiliations of five other Al Jazeera journalists, along with Sharif, including Talal Mahmoud Abdul Rahman Aruki, Alaa Abdul Aziz Muhammad Salama, Hossam Basel Abdul Karim Shabat, Ismail Farid Muhammad Abu Omar and Ashraf Sami Ashour Saraj. Such claims have been made by Israel about all six men since at least last October, when the documents re-shared by the IDF on Monday were originally published. Newsweek could not independently verify the documents and photographs provided by the IDF nor their contents. Newsweek has reached out to Al Jazeera, Hamas and the IDF for comment. What Is Al Jazeera Saying? Al Jazeera has long rejected Israeli claims of its staff being members of Hamas or other militant groups in Gaza. The outlet issued a statement Saturday saying that its media network "condemns in the strongest terms the targeted assassination of its correspondents Anas Al Sharif and Mohammed Qraiqea, along with photographers Ibrahim Al Thaher, and Mohamed Nofal, by the Israeli occupation forces in yet another blatant and premeditated attack on press freedom." "In a statement by the Israeli occupation force, admitting to their crimes, the journalists were targeted by a directed assault towards the tent where they were stationed opposite Al-Shifa Medical Complex in Gaza. In which they were martyred," Al Jazeera said. "This attack comes amid the catastrophic consequences of the ongoing Israeli assault on Gaza, which has seen the relentless slaughter of civilians, forced starvation, and the obliteration of entire communities," the company added. "The order to assassinate Anas Al Sharif, one of Gaza's bravest journalists, and his colleagues, is a desperate attempt to silence the voices exposing the impending seizure and occupation of Gaza." Al Jazeera staff members held an event in Doha, where it is based, to mourn the deaths of Sharif and four other colleagues. Wael Al-Dahdouh (right), Al Jazeera's bureau chief in Gaza, stands next to Al Jazeera anchor and presenter Mohamed Krichen (left) as he holds the portrait of Anas al-Sharif during a moment of silence to honor... Wael Al-Dahdouh (right), Al Jazeera's bureau chief in Gaza, stands next to Al Jazeera anchor and presenter Mohamed Krichen (left) as he holds the portrait of Anas al-Sharif during a moment of silence to honor Sharif and four other colleagues, killed in an overnight Israeli strike in Gaza City, at the networks' headquarters in Doha on August 11, 2025. More KARIM JAAFAR/AFP/Getty Images What Are Others Saying? Sharif's death has been met with widespread condemnation by global media outlets and international organizations. The United Nations Office of the High Commission on Human Rights (OHCHR) condemned what it called the "the killing by Israeli military of 6 Palestinian journalists by targeting their tent, in grave breach of international humanitarian law. "#Israel must respect and protect all civilians, including journalists," OHCHR said on its official Facebook page. "At least 242 Palestinian journalists were killed in Gaza since 7 October 2023. We call for immediate, safe and unhindered access to Gaza for all journalists." The Committee for the Protection of Journalists (CPJ) had previously called for Sharif's protection prior to his death due to Adraee's statements, with CPJ Regional Director Sara Qudah warning in the wake of the IDF spokesperson's comments last month that "this is the not the first time Al-Sharif has been targeted by the Israeli military, but the danger to his life is now acute." Following news of Sharif's death, Qudah argued that "Israel is murdering the messengers" and had "made no claims that any of the other journalists were terrorists." "It is no coincidence that the smears against al-Sharif — who has reported night and day for Al Jazeera since the start of the war — surfaced every time he reported on a major development in the war, most recently the starvation brought about by Israel's refusal to allow sufficient aid into the territory," Qudah said Sunday. Mourners march with the bodies of the Al Jazeera journalists who were killed in an overnight Israeli strike on their tent in Gaza City, from Al-Shifa hospital to their burial at the Sheikh Radwan cemetery... Mourners march with the bodies of the Al Jazeera journalists who were killed in an overnight Israeli strike on their tent in Gaza City, from Al-Shifa hospital to their burial at the Sheikh Radwan cemetery in Gaza City, on August 11, 2025. More OMAR AL-QATTAA/AFP/Getty Images Hamas, for its part, has also repeatedly condemned Israel's killing of Sharif, who the group described as "an exemplary free journalist who documented the starvation crimes and revealed to the world scenes of the famine being imposed by the occupation on our people in Gaza," in a statement Sunday. "The ongoing targeting of journalists in Gaza is a criminal terrorist message to the entire world and an indicator of the complete collapse of the system of international values and laws amid global silence that has emboldened the occupation to kill journalists without deterrence or accountability," Hamas said. "The fascist occupation army's spokespersons had repeatedly issued threats against Palestinian journalists, including martyrs al-Sharif and Qreiqeh, aiming to deter them from their professional duty of conveying the truth and images of the brutal genocide in Gaza," the group added. "These threats were ultimately translated into a horrific killing operation that confirms the fascist behavior of this terrorist entity." What Happens Next? While the circumstances regarding Sharif's alleged Hamas affiliation continue to be subject to debate, his death adds to criticism by international organizations and a growing number of nations regarding Israel's conduct in Gaza. As Israel-Hamas ceasefire talks hosted in Doha and mediated by Egypt, Qatar and the United States remained deadlocked, a wave of Western nations, including France, Canada, the United Kingdom and, most recently Australia, have expressed their intention to recognize the State of Palestine, a U.N. observer state led by Hamas' West-Banked rival, the Palestinian National Authority. Both Israel and its allies in the Trump administration have opposed such measures absent a comprehensive peace process in the decades-long conflict. The White House has yet to publicly endorse Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's newly announced plan to assume control over Gaza, but the Israeli premier thanked the U.S. leader for his "steadfast support of Israel since the start of the war" on Sunday.
New York Post
3 days ago
- New York Post
Israel kills Al Jazeera journalists in airstrike targeting one it accuses of heading ‘a Hamas terrorist cell'
A prominent Al Jazeera journalist was killed in an airstrike alongside four of his colleagues as Israel's military accused him of posing as a reporter to run a Hamas terrorist cell. Anas Al Sharif, a 28-year-old correspondent, was among those killed Sunday when the strikes hit a tent near Al Shifa Hospital in eastern Gaza City, Gaza officials and Al Jazeera confirmed. 'Al-Sharif was the head of a Hamas terrorist cell and advanced rocket attacks on Israeli civilians and IDF troops,' the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said, calling him a 'terrorist' who 'posed as an Al Jazeera journalist.' Advertisement 'Intelligence and documents from Gaza, including rosters, terrorist training lists and salary records, prove he was a Hamas operative integrated into Al Jazeera,' the IDF said. 'A press badge isn't a shield for terrorism.' 4 This undated recent image, taken from video broadcast by the Qatari-based television station Al Jazeera, shows the network's Arabic-language Gaza correspondent, Anas al-Sharif, reporting on camera in Gaza. AP Advertisement Before his death, Al-Sharif had denied ties to Hamas, as had his network. Al Jazeera called the airstrikes a 'targeted assassination' and accused Israeli officials of incitement. Calling Al Sharif 'one of Gaza's bravest journalists,' Al Jazeera blasted the attack as a 'desperate attempt to silence voices in anticipation of the occupation of Gaza.' 'Anas and his colleagues were among the last remaining voices from within Gaza, providing the world with unfiltered, on-the-ground coverage of the devastating realities endured by its people,' the Qatari network said in a statement. Advertisement 4 Al Sharif, 28, was among a group of four Al Jazeera journalists and an assistant who died in a strike on a tent near Shifa Hospital in eastern Gaza City, Gaza officials and Al Jazeera said. AFP via Getty Images 4 Mourners gather around the body of Al Jazeera correspondent Mohammed Qreiqeh as they prepare for his funeral at Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City on Aug. 11, 2025. AFP via Getty Images The network said Al Sharif had left a social media message to be posted in the event of his death that read, 'I never hesitated to convey the truth as it is, without distortion or misrepresentation, hoping that God would witness those who remained silent.' Al Sharif, who boasted more than 500,000 followers on X, had been posting on social media just minutes before his death – saying that Israel had been intensely bombarding Gaza City for more than two hours. Advertisement In the wake of his death, Hamas said the latest strikes may signal the start of an Israeli offensive. 'The assassination of journalists and the intimidation of those who remain paves the way for a major crime that the occupation is planning to commit in Gaza City,' the terror group said in a statement. 4 A member of the media inspects the damage at the site of an Israeli strike on a tent near Shifa Hospital where Al Jazeera journalists Anas Al Sharif, Mohammed Qreiqeh, Ibrahim Zaher, and Mohammed Noufal were killed, in Gaza City on Aug. 11, 2025. REUTERS Al Sharif began reporting for Al Jazeera a few days after war broke out and his coverage repeatedly went viral. In January, he whipped off his press vest and helmet following news of a cease-fire. Al Sharif cried on air in July, too, as woman behind him collapsed from hunger. 'I am taking about slow death of those people,' he said at the time. Meanwhile, the Committee to Protect Journalists, which in July urged the international community to protect Al Sharif, said Israel had failed to provide any evidence to back up its allegations against him. Advertisement 'Israel's pattern of labeling journalists as militants without providing credible evidence raises serious questions about its intent and respect for press freedom,' Sara Qudah, CPJ's director for the Middle East and North Africa, said. With Post wires
NBC News
4 days ago
- NBC News
Israel says it killed Al Jazeera journalist, claiming he was a Hamas leader
The Israel Defense Forces said that it killed a man in Gaza who it claimed was posing as an Al Jazeera journalist, but the news network said that Anas al-Sharif was a journalist and that he and four other staff members were killed in a targeted Israeli airstrike. In its coverage, Al Jazeera termed the killings of al-Sharif and four other staffers murder. The network said that al-Sharif; another journalist, Mohammed Qreiqeh; and camera operators Ibrahim Zaher, Mohammed Noufal and Moamen Aliwa were killed. The network reported that they died 'in a targeted Israeli strike on a tent housing journalists in Gaza City.' The Israel Defense Forces claimed that al-Sharif was "the head of a terrorist cell in the Hamas terrorist organization and was responsible for advancing rocket attacks against Israeli civilians and IDF troops." The IDF said in a statement about the killing that it had "previously disclosed intelligence information and many documents found in the Gaza Strip" that it said confirm that al-Sharif was a member of Hamas. Al Jazeera reported that al-Sharif was a well-known Al Jazeera Arabic correspondent who reported extensively from northern Gaza. The network said that 10 of its staff have been killed by Israel since Israel launched the war in Gaza in 2023. Israel launched the offensive in Gaza, targeting Hamas, after the Hamas-led terror attacks against Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, in which 251 people were taken hostage. Many of the targets of those Hamas-led attacks were civilians, including a music festival, and Over 61,000 people have been killed in Gaza since the offensive began, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health in the enclave. Al Jazeera is a network funded by Qatar's government. Israel's government has accused it of biased coverage of conflicts and violence involving itself and the Palestinian territories. In May 2024, Israel's government under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu voted to shut down the channel's local offices. Netanyahu at the time called it an incitement channel. A Jazeera has repeatedly denied the allegations of incitement made by Israel. Israel last week said that it will take control of Gaza City, an escalation of the war. The move was criticized, and Germany announced that it is suspending the export to Israel of military equipment that could be used in Gaza. The Committee to Protect Journalists said that Israel has a longstanding practice of accusing journalists of being terrorists without providing credible evidence. It called al-Sharif one of Al Jazeera's best-known journalists, who has recently been reporting on starvation in Gaza to a lack of aid allowed in the territory. 'Israel's pattern of labeling journalists as militants without providing credible evidence raises serious questions about its intent and respect for press freedom,' CPJ Regional Director Sara Qudah said in a statement. 'Journalists are civilians and must never be targeted. Those responsible for these killings must be held accountable.' After an IDF spokesperson accused al-Sharif of being affiliated with Hamas' military wing in July, al-Sharif told the CPJ that he was being retaliated against for news coverage that made Israel look bad. "All of this is happening because my coverage of the crimes of the Israeli occupation in the Gaza Strip harms them and damages their image in the world. They accuse me of being a terrorist because the occupation wants to assassinate me morally," al-Sharif told the CPJ then.
