A Defence electrical engineer accused of plotting to destroy an Adelaide electrical substation conducted internet searches that showed he intended to be a tourist, not a terrorist, a court has been told.
Artem Vasilyev, 27, of Findon, in the city's western suburbs, has pleaded not guilty to one count of committing other acts done in preparation for, or planning, a terrorist act, between July 22, 2020 and September 28, 2021.
In his closing address to a Supreme Court jury on Friday, defence lawyer Scott Henchcliffe KC said the issue of digital reconnaissance would be central to their decision.
He said the main reason Vasilyev was not guilty was that there was very little evidence suggesting he was interested in the Cherry Gardens substation, let alone that he intended to attack it.
Mr Henchcliffe said Vasilyev's internet searches showed he was interested in hiking and visiting tourist destinations in Scott Creek Conservation Park, including Almanda silver mine complex and Mackerth Cottage, several kilometres from the substation.
“The fact that Mr Vasilyev never looked for Cherry Gardens substation in Google Maps or in his search browser is the elephant in the room,” he said.
The trial has been told that extremist material, a 3D-printed gun and chemicals used in explosive and incendiary devices were found in the home of the former Defence, Science and Technology Group employee during two police raids in 2021.
Videos recorded during searches of Vasilyev's home were played to the jury earlier in the trial.
Prosecutor Justin Hannebery KC has told the court that Vasliyev was an adherent to a political ideology that had the promotion of white nationalism as its goal, through force and terror.
Mr Henchcliffe said Vasilyev had a "very curious mind" and had obtained documents from all sorts of places.
"There was a substantial quantity of extreme and racist material and I don’t in any way defend the ideology of that. He had some esoteric interest but that does not excuse the indefensible. But having that material doesn’t make him guilty of this charge," he said.
He said that after Vasilyev was arrested following a second search of his home, he told a detective: “This is all a whole new world for me. Do you understand I’m s****ing myself?"
"That doesn’t really sound like a wannabe terrorist, does it?” Mr Henchcliffe said.
He said the offence his client was accused of was very specific and complicated.
"The crucial issue in this case is Mr Vasilyev’s state of mind, what he was thinking, at the time he committed particular acts," he said.
"I would suggest that the circumstantial evidence is quite weak, you’re not actually going to be satisfied what was in his mind,” he told the jury.
In his closing address on Thursday, Mr Hannebery said Vasilyev was not on trial for being a Nazi or a racist.
“The issue is not his politics, but whether he sought to promote the views he holds through a terrorist act," he said.
The trial, before Justice Sandi McDonald, continues.
