Australian terrorist linked to Charlie Hebdo massacre: report

Australia's most high profile terrorist, Willie Brigitte, was reportedly in contact with the perpetrators of the Charlie Hebdo massacre, it has been revealed.

Australian and French intelligence officials have held discussions over the connections and associations Brigitte may have maintained from his time inside the Fleury-Merogis prison, where he is currently imprisoned.

The jail in southern Paris is where Brigitte first came to know brothers Cherif and Said Kouachi and Amedy Coulibaly, who were responsible for the Paris shooting massacre that left 17 people dead in January, according to a report by News Corp journalist Charles Miranda.

French intelligence officials discovered the connection between the men after combing through the brothers' telephone and social media data after they had slaughtered 12 people, including Charlie Hebdo staff and a French National police officer outside the building. A further five people were gunned down in related attacks on a Jewish supermarket two days later.

It is unclear what role Brigitte may have played in the attack against the magazine staff, who published drawings of Mohamed, but Australian authorities are reportedly concerned.

Brigitte and his Australian wife were arrested in 2003 for allegedly being part of a terrorist group planning attacks at Holsworthy Army Barracks and the Lucas Heights nuclear reactor.

He was deported to France and in 2007 was convicted of associating with criminals in a terrorist enterprise.

He was released two years later but in 2012 was arrested again.

A senior Australian intelligence source told News Corp that Australia was being targeted by terrorists.

"There have been attempts, fortunately our intelligence agencies and police have managed to intervene and deal with but there is no doubt there is an ongoing threat in Australia," the source said.

"That’s why we are developing relationships with France and look at how real a threat exists in both our countries."