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July 5, 2006

Australia: Jihad Jack's Wife Linked To Islamist Terror Group

We reported earlier that former Melbourne taxi driver Joseph Terrence Thomas (pictured) was convicted on February 27 of receiving terrorist funding from Al Qaeda, and also forging a passport. He was sentenced on March 31 to a period of not more than five years' imprisonment. Since then, Thomas, known as "Jihad Jack" has had a rough time, being assaulted and suffering a breakdown, as we reported on June 24.

Today, Northern Territories News reports that Jihad Jack's full file from the ASIO (Australia's security intelligence body) and Australian Federal Police (AFP) were presented in court, but were subsequently suppressed on judicial order.

Now, Victoria's Supreme Court has released the suppressed data, which include 1,000 pages of documents, closed-court evidence and interviews with officials which took place in Pakistan.

Apparently, the details gathered by ASIO and AFP suggest that Jihad Jack's involvement in terrorism may have been far worse than previously suspected.

These included claims, which we mentioned in February that he had been interrogated in Pakistan by an American suspected CIA operative called Joe, who threatened to crush Thomas' testicles in a vice, and to have his Indonesian wife Maryati raped, and have her breasts placed in a vice, if he did not give information.

Thomas' actual words were more prosaic, using the expressions "put my balls in a vice" and "my wife's tits in a vice".

An AFP case report from March 2003 stated: "He personally knew, had relationships with, was asked to carry out acts by, lived with, was supported by, was provided money by, discussed terrorist acts with, was provided false documents by and was present at demonstrations of explosives with many al-Qaeda members over a period of 18 months".

The AFP document continued: "He was tasked by Khaled bin Attash to return to Australia to identify military targets as bin Laden needed a white person in Australia."

Attash was the Al Qaeda operative who gave Jihad Jack $3,500 (US) and an airline ticket to fly back to Australia from Afghanistan, apparently to act as a "sleeper", ready to commit terrorism offences. Attash planned the October 2000 attack on the USS Cole in the Gulf of Aden, in which 17 people died.

The AFP report states: "Thomas has previously admitted he was given detailed instructions as to his course of conduct, cover to be used, method of operation, communication protocols and timeframes to be adhered to in relation to the conduct of a terrorist operation in Australia (at the minimum preparation for a terrorist act in Australia)."

"Thomas has made admissions he had several discussions relating to the planning of terrorist attacks in Karachi, surveillance in the Maldives, preparations in Australia and a proposed attack against President Musharraf of Pakistan."

The revealed AFP document is also discussed in the Australian Daily Telegraph, ninemsn, and the Herald Sun.

The details of the AFP March 2003 report have large sections still blacked out for security reasons. The report relates to an interview conducted on February 27 between Thomas and six AFP men. They asked him: "How many groups are working in Australia? How many people probably are members of al-Qaeda from Australia?" Thomas' answer is blacked out.

The closed-court documents reveal that Thomas had claimed the Pakistani authorities had threatened to both torture and kill him, after they detained him in January 2003.

The Pakistanis had said, according to Thomas court testimony: "You must tell us the truth. We'll strip you, we'll pour water over you and electrocute you if you don't. They didn't tell me how I would be executed, but that I would be executed if I didn't speak up."

Thomas said that these officials claimed they were "outside the law" and "no-one can hear you scream".

But the most interesting revelation is made in the Sunday Mail, which claims that Maryati Thomas, Jihad Jack's Indonesian wife and mother of his three daughters, had links with Jemaah Islamiyah, the Indonesian terror organisation led by Abu Bakar Bashir.

In Australia, Jemaah Islamiyah and Bashir, its "spiritual leader" are loathed, as on October 12, 2002, the group caused the bombings in downtown Kuta on Bali, which killed 202 people, including 88 Australian tourists.

The newly released courtroom testimony from an AFP witness states that federal police believed Maryati Thomas had links with Jemaah Islamiyah, before they interviewed Thomas in Pakistan in late February.

Federal Agent Mark Brisley was asked in court whether he understood that Thomas was "married to a woman who had links with JI figures" before the Pakistan interviews.

Brisley answered "yes". The Sunday Mail states that Thomas has confessed that Abu Bashir Bakar, who was recently released from jail after being imprisoned for giving his consent to the Bali 2002 attack, had been "a family friend."

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at July 5, 2006 9:57 PM

Comments

Posted by: L.Drummond at July 6, 2006 8:35 PM

Posted by: Giraldus Cambrensis at July 6, 2006 9:21 PM

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