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Australia
targeted for Islamic superstate, Philippines report warns
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Agence
France-Presse
October
28, 2002
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Monday October 28, 9:29 AM
Australia targeted for Islamic
superstate, Philippines report warns
Northern Australia is targeted by
the Indonesian extremist group Jemaah Islamiah (JI) as part of an
Islamic superstate, the Australian Broadcasting Corp (ABC) said
Monday citing a secret Philippine intelligence report.
The ABC also claims a two-month
investigation by its Four Corners program has uncovered evidence
that alleged Muslim extremists Abu Bakar Bashir and Riduan
Isamudin, also known as Hambali, were architects of a terror
campaign in Southeast Asia over the past three years.
The intelligence report, which will
be detailed in the program to be screened later Monday, came from
the Philippines, which is said to have been chosen by Osama bin
Laden's al-Qaeda network as its first base in Southeast Asia in
1988.
Bin Laden was said to have sent his
brother to the Philippines to gather support as early as 1998.
Philippines' national security
adviser Roilo Golez is quoted as saying intelligence indicated
Australia was part of al-Qaeda's plan for an Asian Islamic
superstate state including Malaysia, Indonesia and the
Philippines.
"That is something that your
intelligence people would have to assess," he said.
"Suffice it to say that the
Jemaah Islamiah vision of a pan-Islamic state includes parts of
northern Australia. That's what our intelligence indicates."
The ABC program is being screened
just three days after Philippine authorities filed criminal
charges in court against Hambali and a Malaysian man, Fais bin Abu
Bakar Bafana, who has been detained in Singapore.
The indictment accuses Isamudin and
Bafana of giving money to local Muslim militants to procure
explosives used in a series of Manila bombings almost two years
ago that left 22 people dead.
Philippines police chief Colonel
Rodolfo Mendoza warns in the program that Australia can expect
more attacks from terrorist groups.
JI, the Indonesia-based Islamic
extremist group, has been accused of being behind the Bali bombing
in which more than 190 people were killed and hundreds injured.
Australia has listed JI as a
terrorist organisation under its new counter-terrorism law
authorising the arrest of terrorist suspects.
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