‘Secret deal’ led to Australia taking in accused jungle axe murderers, US media reports

Australia reportedly took in two men accused of murdering eight tourists with machetes and axes, as part of a “people swap” with the US.

Two Rwandan men accused of murdering eight tourists with machetes and axes have reportedly been resettled in Australia as part of a possible “people swap” deal with the United States.

American political magazine Politico reports the men, Leonidas Bimenyimana and Gregoire Nyaminani — who have been charged with terrorism offences by American prosectors over the 1999 crimes — have been accepted here as refugees.

Speaking at a press conference this afternoon, Scott Morrison wouldn’t comment on the specifics of the report but said every person taken into Australia was subject to character and background checks.

The two men are former members of the Hutu rebel group Army for the Liberation of Rwanda who had confessed to their involvement in the murder of eight tourists — four Britons, two Americans and two New Zealanders — on a gorilla-watching trip in the Ugandan rainforests.

Survivors said as many as 150 soldiers suddenly appeared among the trees, sought out Americans and Britons among the tourists, crushed their heads and slashed them to death.

Former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull struck an immigration deal with Barack Obama. Picture: Twitter

The US then extracted them from Rwanda and then took the rare step of demanding the federal death penalty.

However, survivors from the attack questioned whether the Rwandan men had “legitimately” confessed, and expressed doubt that the Federal Bureau of Investigation had actually found the men responsible, Politico reported.

A deal was then struck between former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and former US President Barack Obama, under which the US agreed to resettle up to 1250 refugees from Australia’s offshore processing centres.

As part of the deal, Australia also agreed to take people who the Obama Administration wanted to deport.

Hints at what this meant were revealed in a fiery phone call between Mr Trump and Mr Turnbull shortly after Mr Trump was sworn in.

“Basically, we are taking people from the previous administration that they were very keen on getting out of the United States,” Mr Turnbull told Mr Trump, according to a transcript of the call leaked to the Washington Post. “We will take more. We will take anyone that you want us to take.”

Eight tourists were brutally murdered in the 1999 attack. Picture: AP

However, the Australian Government has always rejected claims that the deal amounted to a “people swap”.

Politico also reports that Australia refused to take the third alleged murderer, Francois Karake, possibly because he was allegedly involved in a physical altercation with a US jail guard in 2015.

The report couldn’t have come at a worse time for the Coalition, which has attempted to paint itself as tough on immigration as we head into the election in two days’ time.

The reported “people swap” is said to have taken place while a major row was brewing over proposed legislation for medically evacuating sick refugees and asylum seekers from Manus Island and Nauru to Australia.

The Prime Minister insisted passing the bill would mean criminals, including murderers, could be brought to Australia.

“It doesn’t provide for the usual arrangements which would enable us to reject someone coming to Australia because they have a criminal history,” Scott Morrison said in February.

“They may be a paedophile, they may be a rapist, they may be a murderer and this bill would mean that we would just have to take them.”

Donald Trump and Mr Turnbull butted heads over the deal. Picture: AFP

When asked about the report this afternoon this afternoon, Mr Morrison said: “I don’t intend to make a commentary on allegations that have been made in open source information.

“But simply to assure Australians that they are the processes that we undertake and these are the same security agencies that I worked with five-and-a-half years ago to put an end to the border chaos that we inherited.

“Matters of national security aren’t things that I have ever canvassed in specifics in open forums such as this. Allegations, I know, have been made out there in the public forum.

“But what I can assure Australians of is this - our government will always ensure that those character and national security considerations are undertaken for anyone who seeks to enter this country.”

Australian officials are refusing to confirm or deny the report, with the Department of Home Affairs saying it does not comment on individual cases.