Australian terror supporter sentenced to maximum of eight years jail

The ringleader of a network that helped young Australian men fight for Islamic extremists in the Middle East has been sentenced to a maximum of eight years in prison on Thursday.

Fairfax Media reported that Sydney man Hamdi Alqudsi, the first person charged under federal foreign incursion and recruitment laws over the brutal Syrian conflict, will be eligible for release in 2022, after serving a non-parole period of six years.

In her sentencing remarks in the New South Wales Supreme Court on Thursday, Justice Christine Adamson said Alqudsi "took upon himself the role of commander," and noted there was evidence he had helped several more men than those included in his indictment.

The 42-year-old disability pensioner from Sydney's south-west was earlier this year found guilty by a jury of seven counts of providing services with the intention of supporting hostile acts in Syria between June and October 2013.

A handful of Alqudsi's supporters and family members were in court and shouted out "see you soon" and "love you brother" as he was taken into custody after the sentencing.

Justice Adamson accepted the analogy that Alqudsi was the "hub" of the wheel and said his "most important role" was linking the men with Mohammad Ali Baryalei, a prolific jihadist recruiter who would become known as one of Australia's most senior members of the Islamic State.

At least two of the men he helped Caner Temel and Tyler Casey are believed to have died fighting for rival terrorist organisations less than a year after they arrived.

Australia is a staunch ally in the U.S. war on terror in Syria and Iraq has been on heightened alert for terror attacks since September 2014, suffering several attacks including the lone wolf style murder of Police accountant Curtis Cheng at a Western Sydney police station last year.

Australian authorities have conducted 16 counter-terror operations since 2014, arresting 44 alleged home-grown terrorists. Enditem