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.