Pakistan to free Australian `al-Qa’ida trainee’ – WAR ON IRAQ: [3 All-round Metro Edition]
Stapleton, John. The Australian [Canberra, A.C.T] 03 Apr 2003: 4.
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Abstract
Jack Thomas, a 29-year-old former Melbourne taxi driver who became known as “Jihad” after converting to Islam, was arrested in Pakistan in January on suspicion of having trained with al-Qa’ida.
Mr Thomas’s Australian lawyer, Rob Stary, condemned the Australian Government last night for its inaction and said he believed Mr Thomas, a fifth-generation Australian, should be allowed to return to Melbourne and his family voluntarily, and not in custody.
A spokeswoman for the Department of Foreign Affairs said the Australian high commission in Islamabad was seeking advice fromthe Pakistan authorities about their intentions and clarification of Mr Thomas’s legal situation.
Full Text
AN Australian man accused of training with al-Qa’ida terrorists could be freed from a Pakistani prison without charge as early as tomorrow.
Jack Thomas, a 29-year-old former Melbourne taxi driver who became known as “Jihad” after converting to Islam, was arrested in Pakistan in January on suspicion of having trained with al-Qa’ida.
Under Pakistan’s security laws, he can be detained only for three months without charge, a period, which is up tomorrow.
But neither the Pakistan nor Australian governments seem to know what to do with him.
The Pakistani Government has said it will not charge Mr Thomas and is waiting on Australia to ask for his release.
Pakistan’s Interior Ministry claims the Australian consulate in Islamabad has been informed and asked to arrange a handover, but it has had no response.
Mr Thomas’s Australian lawyer, Rob Stary, condemned the Australian Government last night for its inaction and said he believed Mr Thomas, a fifth-generation Australian, should be allowed to return to Melbourne and his family voluntarily, and not in custody.
“The Australian Government, in a sensitive political climate, simply don’t want to know about someone who has been studying to be an Islamic cleric in the northwest frontier of Pakistan,” he said.
“They have completely abandoned this man.
“It is unacceptable for a government purporting to abide by the rule of law to allow one of its citizens to remain in a foreign country without trial or charge.”
Mr Stary said none of the allegations against Mr Thomas had been substantiated, and it was apparent he had not broken any Pakistani or Australian law.
“It appears that this man’s most heinous crime has been his conversion to Islam,” Mr Stary said.
“We need the Australian Government to intervene to facilitate his return. It can’t be done just at a consular level, it has to be done at a government-to-government level.
“The Government has so far been completely unhelpful.”
A spokeswoman for the Department of Foreign Affairs said the Australian high commission in Islamabad was seeking advice fromthe Pakistan authorities about their intentions and clarification of Mr Thomas’s legal situation.
“We understand that the authorities are continuing their investigations,” she said.
Illustration
Caption: Thomas; Photo: Photo