In an interview with the ABC'sFour Corners program,Hekmatullah said he became so enraged when shown a film of American soldiers burning the Islamic holy book that he decided to start shooting the coalition soldiers he had been working alongside. He also said if such abuse of the Koran continued,he would do the same thing again,but said he had been tortured into confessing.
"Eight Australian officers were busy playing cards. I used this as a good opportunity. I started firing at them,I killed and injured many of them,and then I jumped over the wall of the camp which was made of mud,I got myself to a nearby village,and later on I joined the Mujahideen,"Hekmatullah toldFour Corners
Hekmatullah was captured in late 2013 and later sentenced to death for the green on blue attack on the Australians.
Despite vowing to do the same thing again,he has asked the families of his victims to help him in his bid to be released from prison.
"I will get a job and serve the country with either the police or the army,"he said.
But Private Poate's father Hugh Poate said he had no sympathy for the man who gunned down his son,and said the incident was the result of a serious failure of planning and intelligence.