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According to this 2003 article from the Herald Sun: >>In March last year Mallah applied for a passport so that he could travel to Lebanon to meet his prospective wife. His application was denied on the grounds he was likely to engage in conduct which might prejudice national security.<< Then this article from the SMH says: >>Crown Prosecutor Desmond Fagan told the court Mallah intended to die in the attack, and that "he prepared to take hostages". Mr Fagan said Mallah had sold for $3,000 a videotape and transcript of his final message, as well as photos of himself to an undercover operative posing as a freelance journalist. He said that while Mallah's plan was sparked by the federal government refusing him a passport in 2002, his motivations were "not purely personal". "His political motivation broadly speaking was he wished to intimidate the Australian government," he said.<< The Jerusalem Post on July 20 said: >>Prosecutors say Zeky Mallah, a 21-year-old Muslim of Lebanese descent, planned to attack a government office in Sydney, seize hostages and execute them. He has pleaded not guilty to charges of planning a terrorist act and threatening to seriously harm an undercover federal official. If convicted, he faces a life sentence under recently passed anti-terror laws.<<
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