A Sydney barber is under investigation over social media posts that appear to support terrorists – but his mother says he is underage and wasn’t aware of new counter-terrorism laws.
Zac Zhour, who works at Z VIP Barber in southwest Sydney, recently published posts to Instagram and Facebook glorifying the leaders of Hezbollah and Hamas.
One included the words: ‘Jihad is the greatest deed’.
In another post, Zhour wore a black headband, sometimes worn by jihadists in battle, and made a salute with a young child.
A third post depicted the Jewish Star of David covered in blood, accompanied by the quote: ‘Surely we will bring a severe retribution to the wrongdoers.’
Zhour also posted videos that appeared to be filmed in Lebanon which showed the Hezbollah symbol.
Australia has designated both Hezbollah and Hamas as terrorist groups, and in January, the display of terrorist symbols was banned at the federal level.
Confronted by a Sky News reporter at the shop this week, Zhour said police had paid him a visit over the posts, but insisted it was only for a ‘friendly chat’.
He also maintained he had no regrets about his posts.
Zhour’s mother says Sky News shouldn’t have interrogated her son because he is a ‘child’.
‘I don’t regret them because innocent children are being killed and obviously, if you are human and you have a heart, that’s not OK.
‘I know for a fact that these associations aren’t terrorist groups, but I know for a fact that in the Western world, that’s what they’re stated as.’
When Daily Mail Australia contacted the barbershop on Thursday, Zhour said, ‘I’m actually under-age,’ and preferred his mother to speak on his behalf.
His mum said that her son had no idea the images were wrong.
‘It could be possible that a 17-year-old is not aware of those laws,’ she said.
‘Anything he’s posted as a child is irrelevant. It’s in the past, and he wasn’t aware that he wasn’t supposed to.’
NSW Police have confirmed that the matter is under investigation.
Australian Jewish Association chief executive Robert Gregory was appalled by Zhour’s posts.
In one post, Zhour wears a black headband and makes a salute with a young child.
‘It’s certainly very suspicious and it’s something we would urge law enforcement to take seriously,’ he said.
‘This isn’t an isolated case. We’ve seen many incidents of the Muslim community expressing support for proscribed terrorist organisations since October 7.
‘It’s a great concern to Australia, it’s a great concern to the Jewish community, to ordinary Australians and for social cohesion.’
One of the posts included the words ‘Jihad is the greatest deed’.
Another shows the Star of David covered in blood
Zhour is not the first Australian to come under scrutiny after the new counter-terrorism laws were brought in.
A 19-year-old woman is fighting allegations in court after she was accused of displaying the Hezbollah flag at a pro-Palestine protest in Sydney.
Sarah Mouhanna was charged with causing a public display of a prohibited terrorist organisation symbol, and entered a not-guilty plea in October.
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