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CANBERRA - Australia may yet hear the secret history of David Hicks, the young Adelaide father who spent five years in America's military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, after being captured as a reputed Taleban fighter in Afghanistan.
Multi-millionaire entrepreneur Dick Smith has added his support for a
tell-all book despite federal and South Australian laws passed to prevent Hicks from profiting from his association with terrorists in Kosovo, Pakistan and Afghanistan.
At least 30 Australian and international TV channels, newspapers and publishers are reported to be courting the 32-year-old, who was released from South Australia's Yatala high security prison in December.
Hicks served time at Yatala under a deal in which he was released into Australian custody after admitting his involvement in terrorism, ending a furious debate in Australia over the former Howard Government's refusal to demand his return home for trial.
The deal included a gag order preventing his speaking with the media until the end of next month, adding to the local proceeds of crime laws preventing him from selling his story for personal gain.
Reports of intense interest in his story - with bidding likely to reach A$1 million ($1.14 million) - brought warnings from federal and state governments.
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and South Australian Premier Mike Rann declined to comment, but said any attempt to profit from his activities would be referred to the Federal Police and federal and state directors or public prosecution.
Attorney-General Robert McClelland said that Hicks, with the benefit of competent legal advice, had pleaded guilty to serious charges related to his involvement with a terrorist organisation.
"Australian law prevents a person from profiting from criminal conduct.
"We would expect the authorities to take swift and vigorous action against any Australian who breaks the law."
Smith had earlier campaigned for Hicks' release from Guantanamo for a fair trial at home, although he at that stage opposed the sale of his story.
But he said yesterday that he now believed Hicks was a decent Australian who had wanted to help independence movements but had never supported terrorism.
Smith also supported claims by advocates for Hicks that his confession to US military authorities was made to gain his release from Guantanamo Bay.
"I think we've got to be very careful of saying he's a convicted terrorism supporter when the circumstances on the plea bargain were that he had no other option."
And after speaking with Hicks and hearing him admit to some "serious errors" - but not support for terrorism - Smith said he thought Hicks should be able to earn money from his experiences.
"I've changed my view completely now because he's said he's never supported terrorism and most journalists I talk to and all lawyers say that the particular plea bargain is just terrible because he would have agreed to anything to get out of there," Smith said.
Hicks' account of his conversion to Islam, travels in the Balkans and Asia and his confinement at Guantanamo Bay - where he renounced his Muslim faith - would make riveting reading.
He served with the ethnic Albanian Kosovo Liberation Army for two months in 1999, became a Muslim after unsuccessfully applying to join the Australian Army on his return home, and flew to Pakistan to study Islam.
Hicks is reported to have joined Lashkar-e-Toiba, a terror group banned in Australia and a number of other countries which is fighting to push India out of the disputed province of Kashmir. He later allegedly trained with al Qaeda.
