The head of Australia’s overseas intelligence agency has bizarrely been snapped posing with a clenched fist beside controversial president of the Philippines Rodrigo Duterte.
Nick Warner, director-general of the Australian Secret Intelligence Service, held talks with the leader at Malacanang Palace in Manila on Tuesday.
And during the meet the pair posed for a ludicrous photo which pictures the two men fist-pumping, an act associated with the notorious Filipino leader.
The head of Australia’s overseas intelligence agency has bizarrely been snapped posing with a clenched fist beside president of the Philippines Rodrigo Duterte
Nick Warner (fourth left), director-general of the Australian Secret Intelligence Service, held talks with the leader (centre) at Malacanang Palace in Manila on Tuesday
The president’s office released video of the meeting, with separate photos showing the pair talking and making Mr Duterte’s signature hand gesture.
Warner’s actions have been met with a wave of criticism, with many condemning his apparent support of a man who has killed thousands of drug users, including 80 in three days this month, in an attempt to ‘clean up’ his country.
The radical leader insists he is not a killer, despite the country’s streets being littered with dead bodies due to his crackdown on illicit drugs.
And his controversy doesn’t end there, as he recently joked about his troops raping women while taking a dig at Chelsea Clinton who had criticised his crude remarks.
Warner’s actions have been met with a wave of criticism, with many condemning his apparent support of a man who has killed thousands of drug users and suppliers, including 80 in three days this month, in an attempt to ‘clean up’ his country
The radical leader insists he is not a killer, despite the country’s streets being littered with dead bodies due to his crackdown on illicit drugs
The 72-year-old even threatened to kill his own son if he ever touched drugs.
A spokeswoman for Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop told AAP the director-general meets with leaders and ministers of regional countries regularly ‘to advance co-operation in information sharing to counter terrorism’.
According to a palace official, it was ‘basically a courtesy call’ that ‘touched on regional security issues and declaration of mutual support’.
OUTSPOKEN LEADER: PRESIDENT RODRIGO DUTERTE IN QUOTES
The outspoken President Rodrigo Duterte
Comparing his drugs war to the Holocaust – ‘Hitler massacred three million Jews. Now, there is three million drug addicts. I’d be happy to slaughter them. At least Germany had Hitler. The Philippines wouldn’t.’
Insulting President Obama after he criticised the violence in the Philippines – ‘You must be respectful. Do not just throw away questions and statements. Son of a w****, I will curse you in that forum. Instead of helping us, the first to criticize is this State Department, so you can go to hell, Mr Obama, you can go to hell.’
Reacting to an EU resolution condemning his drugs crackdown – ‘I say to them, f*** you. They’re taking the high ground to assuage their feelings of guilt. But who did I kill? Assuming it to be true, 1,700, who are they? Criminals. You call that genocide. Now the EU has the gall to condemn me. So I repeat it. F*** you.’
Criticising Pope Francis after his visit to the country caused heavy traffic in Manila – ‘We were affected by the traffic. It took us five hours. I asked why, they said it was closed. I asked who is coming. They answered, the Pope. I wanted to call him: “Pope, son of a w****, go home. Do not visit us again”.’
Pleading to rid the country of drugs during his election campaign – ‘Forget the laws on human rights. If I make it to the presidential palace, I will do just what I did as mayor. You drug pushers, hold-up men and do-nothings, you better go out. Because I’d kill you. I’ll dump all of you into Manila Bay, and fatten all the fish there.’
On admitting to killing a man by throwing him out of a helicopter – ‘I’ve done that, why won’t I do it again?’
Many Filipino nationals have protested the killings of drug users in the country and are strongly against Duterte’s leadership
Social media was awash with comments baffled with Warner’s actions, with many questioning the decision to stand in solidarity with the controversial leader.
‘Sickening to see head of Australia’s spy agency fist-pumping a man who has instigated the killing of thousands,’ Human Rights Watch Australia director Elaine Pearson tweeted.
‘Seriously? Come on Nick Warner?! I mean, with Duterte?’ another Twitter user wrote.
Social media was awash with comments baffled with Warner’s actions, with many questioning the decision to stand in solidarity with the controversial leader
It comes just a week after the federal government moved to formally list Islamic State in East Asia as a terrorist organisation, with the group responsible for numerous terrorist attacks in the Philippines.
Attorney-General George Brandis said IS was using the conflict in Marawi as a ‘call to arms’, with foreign fighters believed to be actively fighting against Philippine security forces.
‘Only last week, ISIL released a propaganda video of Australian-accented extremist Abu Adam Al-Australi urging fighters to go to join the conflict in Mindanao,’ he told parliament last Wednesday.
The head of the domestic intelligence agency ASIO, Duncan Lewis, has previously said one of the greatest terrorist threats to Australians is in South East Asia.