Gaza woman living in Sydney released from detention after ASIO security risk ruling

Protests broke out at Tony Burke’s office last week when Maha Almassri, 61, was detained – now she’s been set free.

The Opposition has accused the Albanese Government of the “shambolic” handling of a Palestinian grandmother released from immigration detention a week after being deemed a security risk by ASIO.

It’s understood ‘Gaza Gran’ Maha Almassri, 61, was released from Villawood Immigration Detention Centre on Thursday.

Her release came a week after The Telegraph revealed Ms Almassri was taken into detention following a 5am raid on a Bankstown home, with a Department of Home Affairs letter seen by this publication stating her bridging visa was cancelled as she had failed the visa’s “character test”, a claim she denies.

The document states the department was “provided with an Adverse Security Assessment” by the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO), which said the agency “assessed Ms Almassri to be directly or indirectly a risk to security”.

Gaza refugee Maha Almassri. Picture: Supplied

Ms Almassri’s current visa status is unclear, as is whether she remains in home or any other form of community detention.

Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke’s office said the government “will not be commenting on this cancellation”, but did say previous subjects of adverse security assessments had not had their visas reinstated.

“For people in Australia who have been given an adverse security assessment, none of them have been given visas and they remain in detention in accordance with the Migration Act,” a spokesman said.

Coalition Home Affairs spokesman Andrew Hastie questioned how she had been let out of immigration detention following ASIO’s assessment.

The protest outside the offices of Tony Burke in Punchbowl, sparked after Ms Almassri’s detention. Picture: NewsWire / Max Mason-Hubers

“The Government’s handling of this process has been shambolic from start to finish,” he said.

“How is it that this individual posed such a security risk the Minister cancelled their visa, and yet a week later they are free in the Australian community?

“Australians deserve answers. This is the same Labor Government that issued thousands of tourist visas to people from Gaza … before the proper security checks were undertaken, and with no plan for what to do once they arrived in Australia.

“It is little wonder Australians have lost confidence in Labor’s ability to manage immigration and national security.”

The document seen following Ms Almassri’s detention last week included that she “does not pass the character test” – a claim fiercely denied by her family, who alongside supporters launched a snap rally outside Mr Burke’s office last Thursday.

The reasons for Ms Almassri’s detention are not known.

The spokesman for Mr Burke added “any information in the public domain is being supplied by the individual or her family and is not necessarily consistent with the information held by our intelligence and security agencies”.

“The Australian government doesn’t stop investigating new information about a visa holder just because they are onshore. There is nothing more important to this Government than the safety of the Australian community,” he said.

Alison Battisson, a lawyer acting for Ms Almassri, was contacted for comment.

Originally published as Gaza woman living in Sydney released from detention after ASIO security risk ruling