There is "absolutely no way" Sydney man Hamdi Alqudsi thought he was recruiting men for a humanitarian mission after asking a fighter in Syria to be their "commander", a court has heard.
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In his closing address on Wednesday, Crown prosecutor David Staehli, SC, told the jury that when Mr Alqudsi spoke of jihad in intercepted phone conversations "he's not talking about noble things...he's talking about jihad in terms of fighting for the cause of Allah".
"The mujahideen are not charity workers, they are not going [to Syria] to help orphan children ... they are going there to kill or be killed," Mr Staehli said.
Mr Alqudsi, 42, is on trial in the NSW Supreme Court accused of recruiting seven Australian men to fight in Syria between June and November 2013.
The Crown's case is that Mr Alqudsi helped and encouraged the men to fight in the civil war in Syria including by arranging airfares, planning travel routes, advising them on how to avoid detection and facilitating their meetings with other fighters.
The court has heard numerous intercepted phone calls between Mr Alqudsi and Kings Cross bouncer turned Islamic state recruiter Mohammad Ali Baryalei who was fighting in Syria.
In the calls, the pair discussed forming an "Australian battalion" and Mr Baryalei's role as "commander" of the alleged recruits. In others, Mr Baryalei describes how a man was "blown up in front of my eyes" and the desirability of martyrdom.
"I've got four. Not one. There's four brothers coming now and I've got more coming after that," Mr Alqudsi told him in one call. "I need you Abu Omar to help me out so I can open the door."
Mr Staehli said there was "absolutely no way" the jury could conclude that the calls suggested anything about a humanitarian mission.
"Mr Alqudsi is extremely excited ... at the proposition that Abu Omar [Baryalei's nickname] was moving across to Islamic State and presumably taking the boys, the brothers with him."
Pictures from Mr Alqudsi's phone of one of his alleged recruits, Caner Temel, and Mr Baryalei posing with guns have previously been presented to court.
Mr Alqudsi has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
He will not give evidence, but his defence lawyer Scott Corish has previously asked the jury to consider whether Mr Alqudsi could have been facilitating aid to help civilians in Syria.
In one intercepted phone call played by the defence, Mr Alqudsi and one of his two wives, Carnita Matthews, discuss fundraising and organising a barbecue.
"I've got a good feeling that Allah is going to accept you babe...whatever you're doing," Ms Matthews said.
"I'm begging Allah...please Allah...at least one hundred thousand dollars," Mr Alqudsi replied.
The two properties Mr Alqudsi shared with his wives, in St Helens Park and Revesby, were raided by police and he was arrested in December 2013.
The court heard on Wednesday, that in one of the homes a small notebook was found with a "note detailing the provision of $3000 to the families of the shaheed [martyrs] and $2000 for 'getting people'" and a reminder to make "inquiries into martial arts classes and sharia college for the boys".
The Crown's closing will continue on Thursday.
