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Down Under
ASIO confirms Habib detained in Egypt
2005-02-15
Former Guantanamo Bay detainee Mamdouh Habib was detained in Egypt, the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) confirmed today. "We formed a view in mid to late November (2001) that he was most likely in Egypt ... and that was the basis of the representations of Foreign Affairs to Egypt," ASIO director-general Dennis Richardson told a Senate committee. "We established to our satisfaction that he was definitely there in February 2002."

Mr Habib has alleged he was tortured in Egypt, but both the Australian government and the Australian Federal Police (AFP) have said they were unable to confirm whether he was held in that country. Nor has Egypt conceded to Australia that Mr Habib was held there.

Mr Richardson could not say how ASIO came to the conclusion that Mr Habib had been held in Egypt.
"I can say no more!"
Mr Habib returned to Australia last month after more than three years in detention in Pakistan and at the US base at Guantanamo Bay. He remained a person of interest to ASIO, Mr Richardson said. "We retain an interest in him to this day," he said.

"He certainly remains of legitimate security interest to us today in the same way as anyone who we knew or suspected had trained with al-Qaeda and had contacts with other (terrorist) groups.

"We wouldn't be doing our job if we didn't pursue that interest."

While detained in Pakistan, Mr Habib told AFP and ASIO officers that he had been kidnapped in Afghanistan and tortured by people wearing lemon yellow uniforms. However, Mr Richardson said the claim had been dismissed by intelligence officers as false. "His claims of being kidnapped and tortured lacked credibility," Mr Richardson said.
The yellow uniforms being the first clue.
"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." ASIO interviewed Mr Habib on three separate occasions, Mr Richardson said.
Posted by:Dan Darling

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