Iraqi authorities doctored photographs of Kazem "Kaz" Hamad to conceal that he had been tortured after his arrest, a source with knowledge of the investigation says. The arrest followed intelligence provided by the Australian Federal Police, and the revelation could derail future collaboration with foreign governments over organised crime threats.
The source, who cannot be identified speaking about confidential operations, said Australian authorities had later been informally told about the abuse and that the photograph had been manipulated to conceal it. The United Nations and organisations including Amnesty International report that torture is common in the Iraqi justice and prison systems.
Hamad was arrested in Iraq in January 2026 on drug trafficking allegations. He was convicted and sentenced to life in prison in late July.
The image released by the AFP in February showed Hamad in yellow prison garb holding a sign with his arrest details, but included a height chart suggesting he was 274 centimetres tall and an apparent sixth finger on one hand. Photo experts and online image assessment tools suggested the image had likely been digitally manipulated using artificial intelligence or Photoshop.
“The photo was a disaster. What were they thinking when they released it?” said a law enforcement source. “It doesn't look like the bloke, not at all,” said an underworld source.
The AFP said at the time it had not altered the image and was not aware of any alteration, and has only stated that the images were provided directly by Iraqi authorities. It had described the arrest as an "independent decision" by the Iraqis. It declined to comment for this story. The Iraqi National Centre for International Judicial Co-operation did not respond to a request for comment. After media questions, the AFP released a second mugshot half an hour later; it remains unclear whether it was taken before or after the first.
A freedom of information request filed by transparency advocates RightToKnow.org.au shows the AFP sought "urgent advice" internally about the questions. Dozens of documents were redacted or exempted, in part because release could damage the Australian government's relationship with a foreign government. Released materials instructed the AFP media unit to say: "The AFP released images to the media which were supplied by Iraqi authorities, who have Hamad in their custody in a secret location. The AFP has no further comment."
The Attorney-General's Department said any questions about the circumstances leading up to Hamad's detention were a matter for the AFP. "The Attorney-General's Department has no role in authorising the disclosure of information by the AFP in relation to operational matters, including in connection with the investigation of Kazem Hamad," a spokesperson said.
The dossier handed to Iraqis that led to Hamad's arrest was based primarily on more than two years of work by Victoria Police's Lunar Taskforce, formed in October 2023. Detective Inspector Graham Banks, who called for greater cooperation with Iraqi authorities after Hamad's arrest, said at a press conference announcing the arrest of a suspected Commission lieutenant: “When you've got serious actors doing [what the gang is orchestrating], I think there should be a free flow of information.”
Analysis
Why This Matters
- The case raises questions about the AFP's intelligence-sharing practices and whether Australian authorities weighed the risk of torture in a country with a documented record of abuse.
- A breakdown in cooperation with Iraq or other foreign governments could hamper efforts against The Commission, which continues to operate from Iraq.
- The conflict between longstanding policy against sharing information in death penalty jurisdictions and the pursuit of a serious organised crime target may shape future policy.
Background
For decades, Australian prosecutors and politicians have been reluctant to allow intelligence about offshore criminals to be shared with countries that practise the death penalty, following backlash after the executions of Australian citizens in Singapore and Indonesia. In this case, intelligence linking Hamad to the 2024 Adass Israel synagogue terror attack led Australian authorities to share information that could have led to his execution in Iraq, where he was instead convicted of drug crimes and sentenced to life in prison in July 2026.
Key Perspectives
- Unidentified law enforcement source: says the Iraqis created doctored photos to conceal from the AFP and the Australian public that Hamad had been tortured, and Australian authorities were later informally told about the abuse.
- Australian Federal Police: says the images were provided directly by Iraqi authorities and had not been altered by the AFP, and said at the time it was not aware of any alteration. It declined to comment for this story.
- Attorney-General's Department: says it has no role in authorising the disclosure of information by the AFP in relation to operational matters, including the investigation of Kazem Hamad.
- Detective Inspector Graham Banks: says there should be a free flow of information with Iraqi authorities, given the serious actors orchestrating violence.
- An underworld source: said of the photo, "It doesn't look like the bloke, not at all."
What to Watch
- Whether the AFP or Iraqi authorities publicly respond to the torture allegations; the AFP declined to comment and the Iraqi centre did not respond for this story.
- Whether cooperation on targeting The Commission, now reportedly led in Iraq by Ali Al-Huseini, continues.
- Whether any official review examines how the intelligence brief and the doctored images were handled.
Checked
12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 12 supported.
Show each claim
- SupportedIraqi authorities doctored a photo of Hamad to conceal torture, according to a source.WA Today - Latest News: “A source with knowledge of the investigation, who cannot be identified speaking about confidential operations, said the Iraqis had created doctored photos of Hamad in detention in order to conceal from the AFP and Australian public that he had been tortured.”
- SupportedThe arrest followed intelligence provided by the AFP.WA Today - Latest News: “The exiled illicit tobacco kingpin was arrested in January 2026 on the orders of Iraqi authorities for alleged drug trafficking, based on intelligence that had been provided by the Australian Federal Police.”
- SupportedThe revelation could derail future collaboration with foreign governments over organised crime threats.WA Today - Latest News: “The revelation that the nation’s most wanted criminal was subjected to torture as a result of co-operation from Australia has the potential to derail future collaboration with Iraqi and other foreign governments over serious organised crime and national security threats against Australia”
- SupportedThe AFP-released image showed bizarre anomalies.WA Today - Latest News: “The photo, which was released by the AFP in February 2026, contained a number of bizarre anomalies including a height board that suggests Hamad was nine feet (274 centimetres) tall, and he appears to have six fingers on one hand.”
- SupportedThe image’s height chart suggested Hamad was 274 centimetres tall, and he appeared to have a sixth finger on one hand.WA Today - Latest News: “a height board that suggests Hamad was nine feet (274 centimetres) tall, and he appears to have six fingers on one hand.”
- SupportedHamad was sentenced to life in prison in late July.WA Today - Latest News: “He was convicted and sentenced to life in prison in late July 2026 .”
- SupportedA law enforcement source said, “The photo was a disaster. What were they thinking when they released it?”WA Today - Latest News: ““The photo was a disaster. What were they thinking when they released it?” said a law enforcement source, who cannot be publicly identified.”
- SupportedAn underworld source said, “It doesn't look like the bloke, not at all.”WA Today - Latest News: ““It doesn’t look like the bloke, not at all,” said one underworld source when the photo was first released.”
- SupportedThe AFP said it had not altered the image and was not aware of any alteration.WA Today - Latest News: “The AFP said at the time it had not altered the image and was not aware of any alteration.”
- SupportedThe United Nations and organisations including Amnesty International report that torture is common in Iraq’s justice and prison systems.WA Today - Latest News: “The United Nations and non-governmental organisations including Amnesty International report that torture is common in the Iraqi justice and prison systems.”
- SupportedThe AFP released a second mugshot half an hour after the first, and it is unclear whether it was taken before or after the first image.WA Today - Latest News: “The growing questions from the media led the AFP to release a second mugshot half an hour after the initial photo was published. It remains unclear if this photo was allegedly taken at a time before or after the first photo.”
- SupportedThe dossier that led to Hamad’s arrest was based primarily on more than two years of Victoria Police Lunar Taskforce work, and the taskforce was formed in October 2023.WA Today - Latest News: “The dossier handed to the Iraqis that led to his arrest was based primarily on more than two years of work by Victoria Police’s Lunar Taskforce, which was formed in October 2023 to bring down Hamad.”