Supporters of a former ASIO undercover agent who spent extensive time with one of the alleged perpetrators of the Bondi terror attack are redoubling their efforts to secure him a visa to allow him to testify in person before the royal commission into antisemitism.
The ex-agent, known as Marcus, was denied a visa by the Department of Home Affairs on the grounds it believes he may seek to prolong his stay in Australia.
Marcus’ appearance in a Four Corners program earlier this year, in which he said he warned ASIO about alleged gunmen Sajid and Naveed Akram six years before the Bondi shooting, drew a furious pre-emptive response from ASIO.
ASIO claimed Marcus “has a track record of making statements that are untrue” and described him as an “unreliable and disgruntled source” – accusations he denied.
The Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion has told Marcus it wants to hear his evidence as it probes possible failures by intelligence and security agencies in the years before the worst terror attack in Australia’s history, which led to the death of 15 innocent people.
Naveed Akram has been charged with 78 offences, including committing a terrorist act and 15 counts of murder.
While Marcus has been given the option of testifying from an Australian embassy overseas, his lawyers have said he would not be able to get to one and that he may not be covered by certain legal protections overseas.
Gabriel Shipton, who leads the Information Rights Project, a whistleblower...
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