Australia prepares to move against Jemaah Islamiyah

Australia prepares to move against Jemaah Islamiyah

Agencies, Sydney, Australia

Australian authorities said on Friday they would move quickly to capture any agents in the country of the Indonesian Islamic group Jamaah Islamiyah (JI) once it is declared a terror organization by the United Nations this weekend.

They also updated warnings to Australians travelers in Southeast Asia about the dangers of attacks in response to moves against Jamaah Islamiyah or in connection to the upcoming Muslim holy month of Ramadhan.

Jamaah Islamiyah is the main suspect in the Oct. 12 bombings on the Indonesian resort island of Bali which killed more than 180 people, about half of them Australian.

Deputy Prime Minister John Anderson said he expected the United Nations to list the group as a terrorist organization as early as Saturday, setting off domestic legislation making membership in the movement illegal.

"I don't expect arrests as early as tomorrow, but the authorities and police would move as quickly as possible," he said.

Australia's top counter-intelligence agency, ASIO, said in its annual report issued on Thursday that religious extremists represented the biggest threat to the country.

It focussed primarily on the al-Qaeda network of Osama bin Laden and said a number of Australian nationals were known to have trained in terrorism and military skills at the movement's camps in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

But it also cited Jamaah Islamiyah, which has been linked to al-Qaeda, and confirmed that members of the group had been in Australia.

Attorney-General Daryl Williams said on Friday that anyone linked to Jamaah Islamiyah in Australia would be tracked down as soon as the group was outlawed by the UN.

"From that time, anyone who is a member of it, and anyone who is involved in its activities by directing it, providing finance, training with it or providing training for it, would be committing a very serious criminal offense," he said.

The foreign ministry meanwhile warned of possible retaliation against Australians if Indonesian authorities move against Jamaah Islamiyah.

"With the expected listing on 26 October by the United Nations of Jamaah Islamiyah as a terrorist organization, Australians are urged to exercise special caution at this time, particularly in Solo in Central Java," it said.

The ministry said Indonesian government buildings and symbols could also be targeted by attacks.

It said Australians should be particularly careful in big cities like Jakarta, Balikpapan, Surabaya and Yogyakarta and should avoid upmarket entertainment areas and places known to be frequented by foreigners.

Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said on Friday that the Thai holiday island of Phuket is at risk of a terrorist attack according to information obtained by Australia, .

Downer said he also feared that the expected declaration by the United Nations that the Jamaah Islamiyah had links to al- Qaeda could spark violent attacks by its supporter in Indonesia.

The ASIO said on Friday that several leaders of a Southeast Asian militant group, Jamaah Islamiah, have visited Australia over the past years.

Despite the signs of infiltration, and evidence Australians trained with the extremist al-Qaeda network, the ASIO said the threat to Australia remained lower than it was to the United States.

Its assessment coincided with calls from leading security analysts for Canberra to forge new intelligence links with Southeast Asia, because that is where the threat of a militant Islamic campaign against Western interests was most acute.