An Iraqi man accused of organising a fatal people-smuggling trip on a fishing boat known as Suspected Illegal Entry Vessel (Siev) X has appeared in court in Brisbane.
Maythem Radhi, 43, was arrested and charged by AFP officers after arriving at Brisbane Airport on Friday night following his extradition from New Zealand.
Police allege he was part of a syndicate that organised Siev X, which sank en route from Indonesia to Christmas Island on October 19, 2001, killing 353 people.
Most of those who drowned were women and children.
In a media statement AFP said the man, then aged 24, took payments from passengers and helped facilitate the transport and accommodation of people in Indonesia for their journey to Australia.
"Let's not lose sight of the fact that more than 350 people died in this tragedy," AFP Commissioner Reece Kershaw said in the statement.
"They are owed justice and we remain committed to deterring those who profit from this trade."
Mr Radhi has been charged with organising the entry of groups of non-citizens into Australia, which carries the maximum penalty of 10 years' imprisonment.
Two other men have also faced court over the incident, one in Egypt and one in Queensland.
