Muslim cleric Abdul Nacer Benbrika was found guilty Monday of leading an Al-Qaida-related terrorist group following Austrialia's largest ever terror trial found five men in their 20s guilty of plotting jihad out of Melbourne.

The seven-month trial also cleared four suspects of planning terrorist acts, including detonating an explosive and using weapons.

The 48-year old Benbrika, as leader of the conspiracy, was convicted of urging his adherents to kill 1,000 people - including women, children and the elderly - at soccer matches or at train stations, in order to force Australia to withdraw from its participation in anti-terror fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.