A former ASIO undercover agent known as Marcus, who claims he warned security agencies about the Bondi gunmen years before last December’s terror attack, has lodged a second visa application to return to Australia and give evidence to the Bondi royal commission in person.
The former operative, who spent years infiltrating Islamic extremist groups in western Sydney as a paid source for the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, is fighting to enter the country after his initial visa application was rejected by immigration authorities who were not satisfied he genuinely intended to leave.
Marcus Seeks Onshore Engagement With the Bondi Royal Commission
Marcus maintains that traveling to Australia is essential for his testimony regarding the shooting carried out by Sajid and Naveed Akram. In a statement provided to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, he stressed the public interest in uncovering the lead-up to the tragedy.
“The victims of the Bondi terror attack and their families, and all Australians, deserve to know what led to those tragic events. I want to help,”
Marcus, former ASIO agent, via Australian Broadcasting Corporation
While government sources have noted that the royal commission has not formally called Marcus as a witness, correspondence seen by the ABC shows the inquiry has expressed interest in hearing from him. Those same sources suggested his evidence could potentially be delivered securely via remote video link.
Security Risks and the Fallout With ASIO
Marcus argues that remote testimony is insufficient given the classified nature of his knowledge and the ongoing hazards he faces. Living in an undisclosed location abroad, he points to severe physical risks stemming from his past undercover work. A letter from the royal commission was provided with his first visa application, and both the royal commission and New South Wales police have expressed an interest in speaking with Marcus.
“Due to the sensitivity of the information I hold, security concerns, the need for legal protections and other factors, I have come to the view — informed by expert legal advice — that I need to come to Australia to engage with the royal commission in person,”
Marcus, former ASIO agent, via Australian Broadcasting Corporation
His relationship with his former employer deteriorated after his cover was blown. ASIO has since characterized him as a disgruntled and unreliable source, descriptions that Marcus firmly rejects. His interactions with the Akram brothers date back years before the attack, prompting what he described as an immediate sense of sickness when news of the perpetrators broke because he knew them personally and had previously raised concerns about their radicalization.
“When information about the perpetrators was first released, I felt sick — because I knew Sajid and Naveed Akram personally,”
Marcus, former ASIO agent, via Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Marcus has previously sought assistance from Australia for protection and resettlement.
Advocacy Groups Rally Behind the Return Bid
A coalition of whistleblower and civil liberties organizations has backed Marcus’s push for entry, including the Information Rights Project, the Free Speech Union, PEN International, and the Australia Palestine Advocacy Network.
Gabriel Shipton of the Information Rights Project emphasized that returning to Australia represents the safest course of action for the former operative given his precarious overseas status and the nature of his previous government service.
“He’s in hiding in a foreign country because of the work that he did for the Australian government, because of the undercover work that he did,”
Gabriel Shipton, Information Rights Project, via Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Shipton added that there are a lot of risks around him travelling to a place where he might give video evidence, risks to his life, underlining the safety calculations complicating his participation in the ongoing inquiries.
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