http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,12263762-2,00.html
Suspect 'courted' al-Qaeda By Patrick Walters and Martin Chulov February 16, 2005 From: <http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/?from=ni_story> AUSTRALIAN investigators believe Mamdouh Habib offered his services to terror group al-Qaeda in 2001 "almost as a mercenary", according to Australian Federal Police chief Mick Keelty. ASIO boss Dennis Richardson also confirmed yesterday Mr Habib had been in Afghanistan "before, on and after September 11, 2001". Both he and Mr Keelty dismissed Mr Habib's claim that he had been kidnapped and tortured in Afghanistan before his detention in Pakistan in October 2001. "He was actually with people in Afghanistan who had a history of murdering innocent civilians, rather than actually being kidnapped by anyone," Mr Richardson told a Senate committee. The ASIO chief said Mr Habib's alleged torture by people in "yellow uniforms" in Afghanistan "lacked credibility". "We didn't consider they needed to be considered and investigated - we believed they were humbug and we would consider them humbug if he was to raise them again today." Mr Keelty said AFP officers considered Mr Habib was "covering for the period of time that he had been in Afghanistan with al-Qaeda". He told the Senate hearing Mr Habib had been evasive about the reason for his presence in Pakistan when questioned soon after being picked up by Pakistani authorities on October 5, 2001. "He was not forthcoming as to how his travel there was funded," Mr Keelty said. "He was not forthcoming about how his accommodation and everyday subsistence was being funded. "The investigators formed the view that he went there to train with the LET (Lashkar e-Taiba) and be paid for that training, and that he was then offering his services to al-Qaeda, for which he was going to be paid a sum of money, basically, in layman's terms, almost as a mercenary." Since his return from the US detention camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba last month, Mr Habib has declined to answer questions on his activities in Afghanistan. ASIO and AFP officers interviewed Mr Habib three times in October 2001 and since then have established that the 49-year-old Australian had undergone advanced training in an al-Qaeda terrorist camp in Afghanistan. "He was trained in specific areas - as we understand it - in firearms training," Mr Keelty said yesterday. "That was a precursor to his crossing the border to Afghanistan and being accepted as part of the efforts of al-Qaeda." Mr Habib spent 3� years in US custody, including a six-month spell in Egypt, his release without charge by US authorities. Since his return to Australia he has claimed he was subjected to extensive torture and physical abuse, including electric shocks and water immersion during his incarceration in Pakistan, Egypt and Guantanamo Bay. Mr Richardson yesterday became the first Australian official to publicly confirm Mr Habib had been taken to Egypt within weeks of his arrest in late 2001 in Pakistan. "We established to our satisfaction that he was definitely there in February 2002," Mr Richardson said. The ASIO chief's admission contrasts with ambiguous statements by Howard government ministers who have consistently refused to officially confirm Mr Habib had been taken to Egypt. Mr Habib's lawyers believe he was transferred to Egypt for interrogation under a CIA-sponsored program. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> DonorsChoose. A simple way to provide underprivileged children resources often lacking in public schools. 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