Socrates
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Continued.......
Two inside sources have confirmed that among those at the meeting was powerful smuggler, Captain Emad, also known as Abu Khalid, who is now based in Canberra.
The sources say also present were Mohammad Basrawi and his brother Watheq, and Abdullah al Sharifi, also known as Abu Mishal, who is from Yemen and claims to be 36.
"Emad, he's the head of the smugglers, he's the head of the snake. He's very clever, and all the technique of the other smugglers, even we can call them famous smugglers in Indonesia or Malaysia, all of them under his technique," he said.
The plan was an audacious one - to send the agents and a smuggler all on one boat posing as genuine asylum seekers.
The smugglers pooled their expertise on how to avoid detection on the way and to deceive the Australian authorities once they arrive.
According to Border Protection Command, Captain Emad's boat was intercepted on January 13, 2010, five nautical miles north of Christmas Island.
The authorities did not uncover his deception and the boat was listed as having 43 passengers and no crew.
Once on Christmas Island, Captain Emad's plan to become an Australian resident continued without a hitch. Emad, he's the head of the smugglers, he's the head of the snake. He's very clever. He had brought his daughter-in-law and her young child with him on the boat, so they were moved to the family compound to await interviews with the Department of Immigration.
Four Corners understands the name Emad used to enter Australia was Ali al Abassi.
On April 20, 2010, only three months after the boat arrived, the Department of Immigration gave Emad a protection visa and Australian residence. He was one of the first passengers on the boat to be released from detention.
Four Corners can reveal Captain Emad then set up base in Canberra.
His wife, three adult children and their dependents all got refugee status as well - using different names from those they used in Malaysia and Indonesia.
Captain Emad's wife lives in Kaleen, while his daughters live in Lyneham and Dunlop. His son lives in Hawker.
The adults were all provided with public housing.
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