A robot scientist accused of plotting an Australia Day terror attack has been arrested by counter-terrorism cops.
Sepehr Saryazdi, 24, appeared in Brisbane Magistrates Court on Thursday after he was charged in relation to planning a terrorist attack.
The court heard the decorated academic had allegedly planned to lead a riot on the Gold Coast and had discussed his plans with 50 others in a Facebook group.
Some of the messages included plans for Molotov cocktails, with Saryazdi allegedly buying supplies and urging others to do the same, the Brisbane Times reports.
‘I’ll be leading the Gold Coast riots on Jan 26,’ one of his messages allegedly read.
‘If you guys know people in Melbourne, let them know so that they can start buying bottles early to stockpile batches.’
Saryazdi also allegedly instructed members on what to do if they were arrested.
‘If arrested, the key is to stay calm and collected,’ he allegedly wrote.
A robot scientist accused of plotting an Australia Day riot complete with Molotov cocktails has been arrested by counter-terrorism cops (PhD student Sepehr Saryazdi is pictured)
‘It’s important during questioning to remind them what you did is purely logical given the current trajectory of this nation, you need to make the police doubt their own world views and convince them to quit their job.’
The CSIRO PhD candidate also allegedly wrote: ‘Before I leave the battlefield on Jan 26, I have a few wishes in case I die’.
He also allegedly encouraged group members to learn how to use firearms at shooting ranges and then apply for jobs at ASIO or the Australian Defence Force.
The court heard Saryazdi thought the ‘authoritarian’ Australian government should be replaced with a cybernetic system.
He allegedly sent messages via the chat because he thought ‘ASIO or something will either try to kill me or lobotomise me’ once he overthrew the government.
Saryazdi’s lawyer Hellen Shilton said her client had been influenced by the new people he was associating with but that ‘it was never his intention to hurt anyone’.
‘He felt that he should do something and bring attention to the way the world was heading and the government,’ she told Magistrate Penelope Hay.
‘He admits he became quite overwhelmed emotionally. At times he found himself crying.’
The court heard the decorated academic had allegedly planned to lead a riot on the Gold Coast on January 26 (pictured, Australia Day celebrations at Wavebreak Island)
Saryazdi had been working as an industry PhD candidate with CSIRO’s Data61 Robotics and Autonomous Systems Group and the Australian Centre for Robotics, according to his LinkedIn profile.
‘I am working on problems in robotic perception, enabling future robotic capabilities for real-time navigation in complex and dynamic environments,’ a post reads.
‘Outside robotics research, I am frequently involved in science education through casual tutoring and volunteering programs.’
Saryazdi was also a physics, mathematics, data science and robotics tutor at the University of Sydney.
Magistrate Hay refused his bail and he was remanded in custody until February.
