by Ian Wisby
“Well, she’s clearly hiding something…We might be able to get some answers if we stick her in a holding cell,” said Ethan. Diane stood there and thought for a moment. She then looked at her wrist watch.
“You’re right, we don’t have a lot of time left. Let’s do it,” she said. She turned around and walked towards Rana.
“What’s happening? Am I free to go?” she asked.
“Not exactly…Ms. Denali, I’m afraid I’m going to have to place you under arrest,” Diane said. “I’m detaining you under the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2013.” She went to take hold of her.
“But I haven’t done anything wrong, please. This is a mistake!” she shouted, getting more upset. But Diane didn’t want to hear it. She cuffed Rana and escorted her to the door. Ethan opened it and they came out with Rana in cuffs.
“What’s happening?” Wendy asked, immediately.
“We’re taking Ms. Denali back to our office for further questioning,” said Ethan.
“What the hell is going on?” said the angry voice of Daniel Carmichael. He came walking down the steps dressed in his black wedding attire and was shocked to see that his fiancé was in cuffs. Eric closed his eyes as he saw him.
“Sweetheart, calm down. It’s nothing to worry about,” said Wendy.
“Nothing to worry about? Why is my fiancée in hand cuffs?” he demanded. Diane stepped in to take care of the situation.
“Sir, please calm down. We’re detectives with the AFP. We’re taking Ms. Denali to be questioned about her connections to a terrorist,” said Diane.
“Oh, for fuck sake!” Daniel shouted. “That’s fucking bullshit, my fiancée doesn’t know any terrorist!” he continued, getting red in the face.
“Danny, please. You’re not making this any easier,” said Rana, as Diane continued walking to the exit.
“Will someone please explain what the fuck is going on?” he demanded.
They all fell silent at that. Then, Eric came forward.
“I’ll explain everything, just let them go, Danny,” he said. Daniel didn’t say anything at that. Diane and Ethan continued to walk towards the door.
As he went to open the door, Wendy Carmichael caught up with them.
“Ma’am, I’m afraid you can’t come with us,” said Diane.
“You get your hands off me right now,” she said, abruptly.
“I’m not only Rana’s mother in law, but I’m also her lawyer…So, you can either let me come with you, or I will see you in court.” Diane looked over at Ethan, and he slowly nodded.
Then, the four of them headed out the door. Eric stood there looking shocked as the door closed.
* * *
About an hour had gone by. ASIO Officer Simon Harper and his colleague were sitting in the back of the white AFP surveillance van. They’d been watching a house several hundred metres up the road and were monitoring all conversations that were coming out of it.
The house was being rented by terrorist suspect, Mahmoud Al-Hakim. He was being watched as he was suspected of operating a terrorist cell from the house, and planning to carry out an attack here in Sydney.
The six monitors on the side were displaying multiple angles of the property. Some were showing the inside and others were covering the outside. Nothing had really happened in the past several hours.
The tenants were just carrying out their normal routine. However, just when they thought nothing was happening, a vehicle pulled into the drive. “Hey Boss, looks like we’ve got a visitor,” said one of the surveillance officers. The others crowded round him and watched the screen. They could see a man getting out of the car. He was from the Middle-East. “This could be our missing associate,” said Simon, as he too watched the screen. They continued watching him. The man went to the boot of the car and he picked up a large black bag from inside.
“What’s that he’s carrying?” asked the second officer.
“Looks like it’s heavy. Whatever it is, it’s the product he was talking to Al-Hakim about,” said Simon. They saw the man making his way to the front door. Moments later, it opened, and another man greeted him.
They watched as they embraced and then disappeared into the house. “We’re soon about to find out what’s in that bag,” said Simon, as they looked at one of the other monitors. They saw the two men come into the living room. There were three other men inside and they too came over. “Brothers…Gather round.” It was Mahmoud Al-Hakim speaking. “This young man is Sameer Amal. He too is a true believer in our cause and has provided us with the means to carry out Allah’s wishes,” said Al-Hakim. Then, Al-Hakim unzipped the bag. “How long will it take to make the device?” asked one of the brothers. “Not long. Now that we have the Semtex explosives, it will be ready in less than an hour,” said Al-Hakim.
“Holy shit,” said the officer. “Did he just say Semtex explosives?”
“Son of a bitch. How the hell did they get their hands on Semtex?” said Simon. At that, he immediately got out his mobile and started dialing a number.
“Inspector Greer.”
“Inspector, it’s Simon Harper. We’ve just got some more Intel on the operation.”
“What’s happening, Simon?”
“Sameer Amal just arrived at the property. He’s in possession of military-grade Semtex explosives,” said Simon.
“Jesus…These guys are serious,” said Mick. “Any idea what the target is?”
“No. We just know the attack is going down soon. Possibly in the next hour,” said Simon.
“My God…We have to find out what the target is. Keep monitoring them. Thanks, Simon.”
“Copy that, I’ll keep you updated about Amal.” At that, the call disconnected. As Ethan put away his phone, he looked over at Simon, who was just leaning again the chair. He stared at Ethan.
CHAPTER 7
ERIC CARMICHAEL WAS still trying to get over what had just happened. Rana Denali had just been arrested by the Australian Federal Police, and now he was left to deal with one sticky situation.
He was about to explain to his brother, Daniel Carmichael, about what was going on. He wasn’t looking forward to it, but he knew that he’d eventually have to tell him. “So…You were going to tell me what the fuck is going on?” he said. Eric closed his eyes, and then turned around.
“Look, you’re my brother, and I love you…But ever since you got together with Rana, I’ve been a bit concerned about her,” he began. “I began to suspect that Rana was with you because she wanted the money, and it wasn’t until she started work for the company, I noticed she’d been spending quite a bit of money,” he said.
“Are you fucking serious?” said Daniel. “Have you been spying on Rana?”
“I had to…I hired a private investigator because I was worried that Rana might be a…Terrorist,” he said. Daniel’s eyes closed.
“My fucking God…Have you completely lost your mind?” said Daniel.
“You need to understand that I did this because I care about you…You’re my brother, Danny,” he said.
“You hired a fucking private investigator? Why in God’s name would you do that?” he demanded.
“Because, Danny…The investigator found out that she’d been supporting a terrorist using the company’s finances,” he explained. Daniel just shook his head in disbelief.
“I don’t believe this, Eric…Just because I’m getting married and you’re not, doesn’t give you the right to ruin my wedding day!” they both fell silent after that.
“Danny, I’m sorry…But I don’t trust Rana. She’s been lying to us!” he said. “I don’t care if you’re sorry, Eric…You spied on Rana! I will never forgive you for this!” he shouted. Daniel just stormed off in a huff.
* * *
After the arrest, Detectives Diane Faulkner and Ethan Cooper returned to the CIB. Rana Denali was not happy. She had been put in one of the agency’s interview rooms.
Wendy Carmichael was there with her too and attempting to calm her down.
She was getting rather agitated by the whole situation and couldn’t believe that she was being suspected of being involved with terrorism. Inspector Mick Greer opened the door and went into the viewing room.
It was a small room attached to the interview room with a double-sided window. “So, what’s happening?” asked Mick, as the door closed. Ethan and Diane were in the room and were monitoring Rana.
“We’ve been sweating her for the past ten minutes. She’s getting frustrated by the idea of being connected to a terrorist,” said Ethan.
“Has she said anything yet?”
“No. Just coming up with a lot of excuses, and commotion,” said Diane. Mick checked his watch.
“Alright, we’re going to have to get this over with, we don’t have a whole lot of time,” said Mick. Then he went over and opened the door to the interview room.
As he went in, Rana stood up. “I demand to know what is going on!” Rana shouted. “Ms. Denali, I’m Detective Inspector Mick Greer, the head of this department.”
“Good, finally someone with authority,” said Wendy. “This is absolutely ridiculous. Your officers had no right coming into our house and arresting an innocent woman,” she added.
“Mrs. Carmichael, please do not interrupt!” Mick shouted. “Ms. Denali is being questioned because of her connection to a terrorist, Mahmoud Al-Hakim…We have evidence that suggests Ms. Denali has been financially supporting this internationally wanted terrorist, Mahmoud Al-Hakim,” said Mick. He then also showed her bank statements with large sums of money being withdrawn. “We managed to trace the funds to Al-Hakim’s personal bank account…How do you explain that?” he demanded. Rana didn’t know what to say. Her eyes were slowly filling with tears.
“I can’t tell you anymore than I already know…I did not make those transactions, and I don’t know this Mahmoud Al-Hakim!” she shouted, getting more upset.
“The evidence is telling us otherwise…Ms. Denali, we have intelligence that confirms a terrorist group is plotting an attack in Sydney!” he shouted. Rana’s eyes widened. “Dozens of innocent lives are at stake, here! Now, we need you to start cooperating, or you’re going to spend the rest of your life in prison!” he bellowed. Rana was completely shaken by all of this. “Now, I’m going to give you half an hour to revise your story, and then I want to know the truth!” he said. He then got up and went over to the door. After stepping through, he slammed it shut behind him.
“Not exactly what I thought was going to happen,” said Ethan.
“We have to give her something to think about…With the thought of thousands of lives at stake, it might entice her to come clean,” said Mick. “In the meantime, I’m going to update the Superintendent,” he added, and then headed out the other door.
* * *
Eric Carmichael was still upset by what had happened. He was starting to get anxious and began pacing the kitchen floor.
Daniel had disappeared for the last twenty or so minutes and was probably sulking in his room like a five-year-old.
He hadn’t heard anything from his mother, so something must be happening. He thought for a moment and then went over to the computer. After logging in, he wanted to find out what exactly his private investigator found.
He signed in to the company’s corporate bank account and began searching through recent transactions made. There were several bank transactions that added up to a total of five hundred thousand dollars.
He thought for a moment and then took out his mobile phone to dial a number. “Aaron Morgan,” he answered.
“Aaron, it’s Eric Carmichael. The AFP just arrested Rana Denali…Are you sure the information you got was correct?” he asked.
“Yes, we double checked it with ASIO and they confirmed it…Rana Denali did in fact transfer that money to Al-Hakim’s account.”
“I’m still not convinced that she did.”
“Look, I realize you’re having doubts about this. But the fact is, ASIO confirmed the information was accurate. The transfer was made from her computer. We checked the IP address, it was definitely her computer…There’s just no other explanation,” said Aaron.
“What if she’s being set up?” he thought.
“I don’t follow?”
“I mean, what if someone wanted us to find out that she’d been helping the terrorists?”
“I don’t see how that’s possible. It would take a considerably smart person to come up with something like that,” said Aaron. Eric let out a sigh of frustration.
“I just feel bad for my brother that’s all…I’m starting to regret this whole thing,” he said.
“I understand…But if the AFP are questioning Rana Denali, then you should feel good about potentially stopping a terrorist attack,” said Aaron.
“I know, I should…Look, I should go. I still need to figure out what I’m going to say to Daniel,” he said. “Thanks for your help Aaron.”
“No problem. Call me if you need any more help,” said Aaron, and then hung up. After he put down the phone, he sat there and thought for a moment.
He then looked up to see Daniel standing there. He didn’t look too pleased with Eric.
“Danny, I’m glad you’re here. I just wanted to say that I’m sorry for what’s happening. I didn’t mean for this to ruin your wedding day,” he said.
“You just couldn’t help yourself, could you?” he said. “You couldn’t leave well enough alone.” Eric didn’t say anything. “I just wish you didn’t go snooping around, because I didn’t expect you to find anything.” At that, Daniel pulled a handgun on Eric. He cocked the gun and aimed it at Eric’s head. Eric’s eyes widened with shock, and his face went as white as a ghost.
“Danny, what the hell are you doing?” he said.
“Put your hands up, Eric,” he demanded. Eric was reluctant at first. “I said, put your fucking hands up!” he shouted, as he walked up to him. Eric jumped and quickly raised his hands.
“Danny, I don’t understand. What’s going on?” he asked.
“You see, that’s what really amuses me about you…You never have any idea about what’s going on,” said. Then, Eric started to realize what was happening.
“It, was you? You’re working for the terrorists?” he said. Daniel didn’t reply straight away, and grinned. “Why?”
“Because people like Mahmoud Al-Hakim know what’s really going on. He opened my eyes, Eric. He showed me what this government is really like…They’re criminals,” he said.
“I don’t believe what I’m hearing,” said Eric. “You sound like an insane fanatic.”
“No, I’m a true believer in the cause of freedom and just,” he said. Eric was starting to get upset.
“So, what are you going to do to me? Kill me?” said Eric. Daniel just stared at his brother, still holding the gun at his head, and held his finger on the trigger.
CHAPTER 8
RANA DENALI WAS still in shock at the fact that a terrorist group were planning to carry out a terrorist attack in Sydney. She couldn’t get over that dozens of innocent people’s lives were at stake.
But she was still annoyed at the AFP as they still believed she was working for the terrorists. No matter what she said, they were not convinced. Rana was still being held in the interview room at the Criminal Investigative Branch.
Wendy Carmichael was with her and continued to try and calm her down. On the main floor, everyone was still busy trying to track down the terrorists and stop them from carrying out an attack.
Detective Inspector Mick Greer walked across the floor and went into the agency’s briefing room. Detective Sergeant Ethan Cooper and Felicity Meyers were inside and doing some analysis on Rana Denali’s background. Felicity Meyers was there helping them also. “So, have you found anything yet?” asked Mick, as he came into the room.
“Nothing out of the ordinary. We know she’s an immigrant from the Middle-East. Her family moved here when she was ten years old. She graduated from the University of Sydney with a Bachelo
r of Economics. She then secured a position with Carmichael Enterprises as the Chief Financial Officer in 2011,” said Felicity. “She’s been with the company ever since.”
“There’s nothing in her profile that suggests she’s been involved with terrorists. Yes, she’s from the Middle-East, and yes, she’s Muslim, but that doesn’t confirm she’s a terrorist,” said Ethan.
“There must be a connection somewhere. ASIO confirmed she transferred more than five hundred thousand dollars to Mahmoud Al-Hakim’s bank account,” said Mick.
“We’ve been looking into that, and it seems there’s some inconsistencies with those transactions,” said Ethan. Mick looked at him, oddly.
“What kind of inconsistencies?”
“Well, after analysing the transactions, we discovered that the most recent transaction made totalled up to ninety thousand dollars. However, this transaction was made two months ago at a local branch in Sydney,” Felicity commented.
“What’s unusual about that?”
“According to the bank’s records, the person who made those transactions was not Rana Denali…She was in fact out of the country on the day the transaction was made,” said Felicity. He showed Mick the paperwork to prove it.
“So, if Rana Denali didn’t authorize these transactions, then who did?” asked Mick. They all looked at each other, with blank expressions.
* * *
Eric Carmichael couldn’t believe that his brother, Daniel Carmichael was a terrorist. All this time, he suspected Rana Denali of being a terrorist because she was a Muslim from the Middle-East.
Eric had been tied up to a chair and taken into the garage. Daniel finished tying his wrists and then placed duct tape over his mouth.
As he did so, he took out his mobile and started dialling a number. “Yes?” a voice answered.
“Mahmoud, it’s me. I have a problem,” said Daniel, he spoke in an Arabic tongue.
“What is the problem, Daniel?” Daniel let out a sigh.