Sunday, February 13, 2005
WILL VISIT TERRORISTS FOR FOOD
60 Minutes didn’t exactly get value for money with its Mamdouh Habib interview:
Mr Habib refused to answer questions related to whether he was in Afghanistan or what he was doing there before he was detained or how he funded repeated trips to the region.
Incidentally, I’m fine with Habib being paid. For one thing, it’ll mean he’s able to return his welfare overpayments:
Freed Guantanamo Bay detainee Mamdouh Habib has applied for a disability support pension but has been told he owes the Federal Government thousands of dollars for previous welfare overpayments.
Centrelink is yet to decide if it will pursue the money from Mr Habib, who may be eligible for up to $470 a fortnight if his application is accepted.
Mr Habib previously received the benefit, which is paid to people who are not able to work or be retrained because of illness, injury or disability, but failed to notify Centrelink about leaving Australia, as required.
Payments were made when he was allegedly visiting al-Qaeda terrorist training camps in Afghanistan and Pakistan. “People will ask if he was well enough to allegedly fight with al-Qaeda, why were we paying him the disability pension,” a source said.
Yes. They will ask that. Not that Habib appears willing to answer ...
CORRECTION: The questions about visits to Afghanistan were asked during an interview with the New York Times.