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IN PHOTO: A man purported to be the reclusive leader of the militant Islamic State Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has made what would be his first public appearance at a mosque in the centre of Iraq's second city, Mosul, according to a video recording posted on the Internet on July 5, 2014, in this still image taken from video. There had previously been reports on social media that Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi would make his first public appearance since his Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) changed its name to the Islamic State and declared him caliph. The Iraqi government denied that the video, which carried Friday's date, was credible. It was also not possible to immediately confirm the authenticity of the recording or the date when it was made. REUTERS/Social Media Website via Reuters TV

Members of an Australian based charity, Dar al Quran wa Sunnah are under scanner for their alleged association with the Islamic State (IS) in Syria.

The Lebanese authorities are investigating the charity organisation that had been originally set up to help Syrian orphans, followed by the arrest of one of its members, Ibrahim Barakat, in Lebanese city of Tripoli on May 2. Barakat was heard at a military court in Lebanon on Friday.

At present, he is charged with three counts of crimes -- for fundraising for the IS group, recruiting for the group and fighting against the Lebanese army. As per ABC News, another two dual Australian-Lebanese citizen members of the charity organisation are also being examined for crimes of similar manner.

The commissioner for Australia's charity watchdog Australian Charities and Not-for-Profits Commission (ACNC), shares similar sentiments with the Lebanese authorities, said, the allegations against Barakat totally deserve an investigation.

"That would be a very serious matter and, I might add, that would be a matter not only of interest to the ACNC, but the intelligence and security agencies," said Susan Pascoe, the commissioner.

ACNC, along with financial intelligence agency, the Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (AUSTRAC), and the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and the Australian Security and Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) are working in cooperation with each other to bring out the larger picture.

While the AFP refused to comment on the entire matter, whenever the charity took part in any aid activities in Tripoli, it updated through its English Facebook page. The organisation’s Arabic Facebook page makes regular references to those who have lost their lives fighting in Syria.

The Lebanese National With A Fake Identity

Barakat is also a religious leader, who is accused of trying to leave Tripoli for Turkey using a false name and thousands of U.S. dollars. Meanwhile, he was spotted in a video acknowledging Australians for their donations in form of food packages during Ramadan in northern Lebanon last year.

Turkey is known to be the common entry point to areas controlled by the IS militants.

Meanwhile, security sources suggested that the charity is registered with the ACNC and involved with fundraising activities in Australia for its operations in Tripoli, Turkey and Bangladesh.

Contact the writer on barsha23@gmail.com

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