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Australia: Deported Islamist terror
suspect says Kurdish security treat me badly
9.4.2007
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April
9, 2007
Sydney, -- A
suspected Australian terrorist and Sydney spray
painter, Ahmed Jamal (a Kurd) was treated like a dog
and handcuffed continuously for three months while
imprisoned in Kurdistan region (Iraq) as an alleged
insurgent, his brother said yesterday..
Mr Jamal was held for almost three years in
Kurdistan region jail (northern Iraq) after being
arrested by the Kurdish security services.
He is being
deported from Kurdistan after the Australian
government agreed to a number of conditions from the
Kurds relating to Mr Jamal's return.
He was released only 10 days ago without being
charged.
His brother, Ali Jamal, told the Herald Ahmed was
still traumatised.
"He was handcuffed for three months straight. They
had to eat in handcuffs, clean in handcuffs," Ali
said. "They were chained up like dogs."
Ahmed is also suffering from skin rashes and "still
going the trauma of three months in hell".
"Prison here is like heaven in comparison … I don't
know that personally, but from what my other brother
has told me."
Two other Jamal brothers are in maximum security
prisons in Australia. Mohammed Omar Jamal is an
alleged member of a terrorist cell planning attacks
in Sydney while Saleh Jamal was convicted this year
for a Greenacre shooting after being extradited from
Lebanon, where he was alleged to have associated
with jihadist groups.
Whether Australians officials, either directly or
indirectly, tipped off the Kurds about Ahmed Jamal's
background remains unclear.
The office of the Minister for Foreign Affairs,
Alexander Downer, did not return calls yesterday.
However, Ahmed Jamal is officially a "person of
interest" to domestic counter-terrorism authorities
and a candidate for a control order.
The controversial measure restricting the movements
of terrorism suspects has been used only once, for
Joseph Thomas, a former Melbourne taxi driver.
David Hicks is another prime candidate for this
order when he is released from an Adelaide jail at
the end of the year. The Attorney-General, Philip
Ruddock, yesterday confirmed Hicks would be under
surveillance, and possibly under a control order.
"What you do to protect the Australian public is to
ensure that you undertake appropriate surveillance,
and they're not matters in which I deal with in
detail," he told Channel Nine's Sunday program.
Mr Ruddock said Hicks would be brought back to
Australia within "several weeks".
smh com.au |
AAP
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