"I AM not involved in anything," Melbourne cleric Abdul Nacer Benbrika claimed in an interview only three months ago.
"I am trying to keep myself, my family, my kids and the Muslims close to this religion."
Today the Algerian-born fundamentalist and father of six stands accused of directing what would have been the nation's most devastating terrorist attack.
The 45-year-old Benbrika, also known as Abu Bakr, is alleged to have been the spiritual ringleader of a group of young radical Muslims in Melbourne who, along with colleagues in Sydney, were in the advanced stages of planning a deadly attack.
"Osama bin Laden -- he's a great man," Benbrika told the ABC's 7.30 Report.
The accusation effectively casts Benbrika as Australia's Abu Bakar Bashir, the spiritual leader of Indonesian terror group Jemaah Islamiah, which carried out the Bali bombings. His arrest marks the end of a long journey to the dark side for the self-styled radical cleric who once claimed to "love" the "Australian lifestyle".
Benbrika arrived in Australia from his native Algeria in 1990 and never left, telling immigration authorities that he not only loved Australia but also that he was scared to go back to the "dangers" of his homeland.
In 1992 he married a 20-year-old Lebanese woman, Rakia Abdullah, and in 1998 Benbrika finally won Australian citizenship.
His application to stay was supported by moderate Islamic clerics, including the influential Imam of Melbourne's huge Preston mosque, Sheik Fehmi.
It was a decision Fehmi says he now regrets.
At first, Benbrika did not reveal his extremist tendencies, but over time his views on religion became increasingly strident and fundamentalist.
Benbrika began attending Fehmi's Preston mosque and airing extremist views. He and his group were eventually ejected.
They moved to the Brunswick prayer hall of controversial Melbourne fundamentalist cleric Sheik Mohammed Omran -- a prayer hall attended by several of those arrested yesterday.
But even Omran's firebrand speeches were too tame for Benbrika, who began schooling his own group of followers with his radical interpretation of Islam.
Although mainstream Islamic leaders considered Benbrika a troublemaker, he developed a cult-like following among a group of Muslim youths from Melbourne's poorer northern suburbs. These youths, who included some small-time criminals, were feared by some more mainstream Muslims for their intimidating behaviour.
In July last year, Benbrika and his followers attracted the attention of ASIO and the Australian Federal Police, which began to closely monitor their movements.
In June this year, the cleric's home was raided by ASIO along with those of some of his followers, and in August Benbrika rose to national prominence when he made a series of provocative comments during an interview with the ABC.
He described Osama bin Laden as a great man and said he did not oppose violent jihad overseas. He also believed local Muslims should adhere to Islamic law.
His comments drew the ire of the Prime Minister, who criticised such views as "the epitome of intolerance".
Benbrika's comments may have sparked a more direct response from his critics. Weeks later he was kidnapped and bashed by two carloads of men wearing balaclavas.
Although Benbrika was treated in hospital, the attack appeared designed to shake him up rather than seriously hurt him.
Benbrika reportedly believed that ASIO and the AFP were behind the bashing -- a claim that authorities have strongly denied.
However, since then, the net has been closing on the radical cleric as more evidence was gathered of his alleged involvement in a terrorist plot.