Security 'breakdown' let terrorist Khaled Sharrouf escape Australia

Australian officials yesterday blamed a "fairly major breakdown" in border security for the reported escape of a convicted terrorist through Sydney Airport to join the conflict in Syria.

New South Wales state Premier Barry O'Farrell expressed concern after media reports that Khaled Sharrouf, who served almost four years in jail after pleading guilty to a 2005 conspiracy to attack Sydney, had fled.

Media reports said Sharrouf boarded a flight to Malaysia at Sydney Airport in December using his brother's passport and was now believed to be in Syria.

"I have to say, I think that immigration and the federal police and customs have been doing a magnificent job," O'Farrell said . "But I [will] look to see what caused what appears to have been a fairly major breakdown."

Customs officials would not comment in detail on the matter, saying it was "subject to ongoing investigations".

"The Australian Customs and Border Protection Service does not allow any individual to enter or exit Australia without appropriate travel documentation," a spokeswoman said.