By Rohan Gunaratna

In a maximum-security prison, I interviewed Jack Roche, Australia’s most notorious Al Qaeda inmate.  I also met Jack Roche’s Indonesian wife Afifah who genuinely cared for him.

Roche had access to the highest echelons of Al Qaeda, including its fountainhead Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan. Roche described businessman turned terrorist Osama as a “very nice man.” Roche also met the then head of Al Qaeda’s military wing Abu Hafts, a former Egyptian policeman. Roche also met the then Al Qaeda’s head of intelligence wing Saif Al Adil, a former Egyptian Colonel. Saif is the current Al Qaeda Amir or leader living in Iran. In Pakistan, Roche met with 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohamed alias Mokhtar. He also met in Afghanistan other attackers such as Christian Ganczarski who bombed the Tunisian synagogue killing 21 people, mostly German tourists.

British-born Roche suffered from an alcohol problem. After leaving three wives and three children, he arrived in Australia from East Berlin, using his birth name, Paul Holland. An Australian taxi driver and a factory worker, he quit drinking after converting to Islam.

Read the rest of my article on my Substack here or in the link below