Zaky Mallah is an Australian who was the first to be charged with terror offences under Australia's anti-terrorism act after he made a video which allegedly contained a threat to carry out a suicide attack on federal government offices in Sydney in 2003.
Mallah spent two years in Goulburn Correctional Centre subject to solitary confinement and a 22-hour lockdown while he awaited trial.
The Counter Terrorist Command, also aware of the threats, sent an undercover officer posing as a freelance journalist to do another interview.
This undercover officer offered Mallah $5,000 if he would hold everyone hostage at ASIO headquarters and give the "journalist" the scoop.
Justice Wood stated that "the prisoner was an idiosyncratic, and embittered young man, who was to all intents something of a loner, without significant prospects of advancing himself.
While in Syria, Mallah uploaded videos he made to Facebook, some of which were republished by mainstream Australian news sources.
[15] They quoted Mallah describing how seeing his guide shot by a sniper filled him with a new appreciation for the freedoms found in Australian society.
[5] Mallah asserted treating wounded fighters would not violate Australian law; neither would preparing or serving rations, or carrying flags.
Prime Minister Tony Abbott strongly criticised the ABC for "giving Mallah a platform" saying that "heads should roll".
[3] Mallah went on to debate Waleed Aly on The Project[23][24] and published an opinion piece in The Guardian's Comment is free.