The Australian Federal Police (AFP) wanted the fingerprints of two investigative journalists two months before they raided the Sydney offices of the ABC.
The ABC says a letter from the police sought the finger and palm prints from Dan Oakes and Sam Clark, the journalists who wrote stories on Australian special forces soldiers in Afghanistan between 2009 and 2013.
The stories, based on leaked documents, alleged unlawful killings of unarmed men and children by Australian forces
The letter stated that Oakes and Clark were suspects in relation to alleged offences, including "receipt of prescribed information" and "unlawfully obtaining information".
According to a search warrant, the details of which were revealed in an application by the ABC to the Federal Court, the police were looking for evidence to prove a suspicion that Oakes had allegedly committed the offences of receiving stolen goods and unlawfully obtaining military information.
This latest report is at odds with the AFP’s previous statement that it was targeting the source of the leaks behind the stories. The AFP has defended the raids and rejected the idea it’s trying to intimidate journalists.
The ABC raid came a day after police searched the Canberra home of News Corp journalist Annika Smethurst who wrote a story saying the government looking at increasing the powers of the intelligence agencies in Australia.
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