DNA tests have reportedly revealed an Australian man killed in a US drone strike in Yemen was a jihadist who had taken European hostages.
Townsville man Christopher Havard, 27, died in 2013 and was reportedly being investigated for his alleged involvement in activities in Yemen linked to Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.
ABC television said on Monday it had obtained Australian Federal Police documents that show there is DNA evidence to prove Havard was involved in the kidnapping of a Finnish couple in 2012.
Atte and Leila Kaleva say they took a hair belonging to one of their captors during their four-month ordeal and once they were released, handed pieces of it to Finnish and Austrian authorities.
The DNA profile was sent to the AFP, which matched it to a DNA sample it already had, confirming the hair belonged to Havard.
The evidence led a Queensland magistrate to issue a warrant for Havard's arrest but he was killed three weeks later.
Mr Kaleva told the ABC he "felt sad" that Havard was dead and would have preferred to see him brought to justice.
"Apart from being a jihadist ... he was quite polite and tried to be as nice as possible," Mr Kaleva said.
"He wasn't a good person, so probably the world is a better place without him."
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