Militant suspect linked to Somali passport scam
A Somali people-smuggling cell linked to an overseas terror suspect has been able to get dozens of people into Australia through a passport-swapping scam.
Confidential Immigration Department documents obtained by Fairfax Media reveal those suspected of being involved in the scam were known to federal authorities but have not been pursued because of a lack of interest and resources among federal police
Monash University terrorism expert Greg Barton said Australia faced the serious risk of people from countries racked by extremism and conflict seeking to enter with radicalised views.
“Nowadays, we need to be more careful than ever before about vetting people,” Dr Barton said.
The Abbott government has recently cancelled the passports of Australians fighting with extremists in Syria and Iraq.
A 2009 Immigration intelligence report titled Unlawful Entry Into Australia by Somali Nationals identified 53 cases of illegal entry or attempted entry. Many of those who have entered illegally have since disappeared into the community, with the government having no information about their true identities or location.
The racket involves Somali-born people with Australian or New Zealand passports giving their passports to Somali nationals to enter the country. They exploited a loophole in Australia’s border control system that meant using an Australian or New Zealand passport to enter the country twice without a corresponding departure did not trigger an alert.
“The number of non-citizen Somali nationals entering Australia is an ongoing issue and of significant concern due to the identity, character, health and national security implications,” a 2010 Immigration Department report noted.
The report said Somali nationals were also highly successful in getting protection visas and accessing Centrelink and Medicare benefits.
“The national security hotline has reported informants stating that the ‘beliefs of these people do not match those of Australian citizens, and that he/she was unsure of what they were planning’.”
One of those linked to the people-smuggling cell in Melbourne is Somali-born terror suspect Hussein Hashi Farah, whom the Immigration documents describe as having links to the al-Qaeda offshoot al-Shabab.
Mr Farah fled Kenyan counterterrorism officials using an Australian passport in 2010 and several of his family members were identified as suspects in the Somali people-smuggling investigation.
Despite those suspected of involvement in the racket potentially committing offences against the Australian Passports Act, the Foreign Passports Act, the Criminal Code Act and the Migration Act, only one person has been prosecuted for a minor offence.
The Immigration files accuse the federal police of a “lack of interest” and say other agencies have offered only limited support.
The Immigration Department investigation of the people-smuggling cell identified three strategies used by Somali nationals on arrival. If detected at the border, they claim asylum. If undetected and cleared by Immigration, they lodge a protection visa application after arrival.
Others clear Immigration and have no further contact. Immigration investigators suspect “these Somali nationals then assume identities in Australia”.
The Immigration investigative officers proposed that a multi-agency taskforce be formed to conduct a “full and comprehensive investigation of this matter”. “No one appears to be addressing this issue . . . it is evident that Somali impostors will continue to travel to Australia due to the high likelihood of them being granted permanent asylum,” a 2010 report concludes.
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