Wife of terror suspect in Mardi Gras

Investigation into the past of alleged al-Qaeda terrorist suspect Willie Brigitte took a queer turn this week, with the revelation by The Daily Telegraph that Brigitte’s wife Melanie Brown marched in the 2002 Mardi Gras parade.

Brown marched with the Jewish gay and lesbian group Dayenu. Malcolm Davidowitz was co-convenor of the group in 2002 and remembers Melanie Brown’s involvement.

She was not a member of Dayenu, she just arrived at one of our meetings and she said she associated herself with gay and lesbian Jewish people, Davidowitz told Sydney Star Observer. She then came to a few of our social gatherings.

She was very secretive about her private life. Nobody asked her whether she was a lesbian. It was assumed she was a lesbian, because we advertised as a gay and lesbian organisation, he said.

Dawn Cohen, who co-founded Dayenu in 2000 along with Davidowitz and others, marched in 2002 but did not recall Brown. Cohen noted, however, that the group always had a lot of heterosexual supporters and that it’s quite possible that she was there just to have a good time and to provide us with support.

Brown is not suspected of being involved in terrorist activities of any kind, with intelligence officials revealing their satisfaction that Brown had no knowledge or involvement in her husband’s alleged activities, The Daily Telegraph reported.

Willie Brigitte was deported to France on 17 October on suspicion of terrorist activities.