ASIO spies Al-Qaida

Sunday Times ^ | July 26 2002 | Greg Sheridan

[knighthawk]

ASIO has placed under surveillance active members and sympathisers of al-Qa'ida, including some Australian citizens who trained in Afghanistan with the terrorist group.

ASIO has identified three classes of al-Qa'ida activists in Australia.

These are Australian citizens, mostly of Middle East origin, who trained with al-Qa'ida in Afghanistan. There are also a small number of Muslim organisations with intimate links to al-Qa'ida.

And there are individuals with long-standing links to al-Qa'ida's South-East Asian networks. These people have connections with the Jemaah Islamiah radical Muslim group based in Indonesia.

Members of Jemaah Islamiah were involved in a plot to attack the US embassy and the British and Australian high commissions in Singapore.

There is no evidence that the people identified by ASIO are planning operations in Australia.

Canberra's information on al-Qa'ida's connections in Australia comes from US and South-East Asian intelligence agencies and ASIO's own investigations.

Western intelligence agencies have been shocked at the extent of the al-Qa'ida presence in South-East Asia.

Al-Qa'ida operatives are known to have fled from Afghanistan and Pakistan to Indonesia and other South-East Asian destinations.

However, senior Canberra sources indicate that all the main South-East Asian nations, especially Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and The Philippines, are actively co-operating with Australia and the US in counter-terrorism. The number of identified al-Qa'ida operatives and "connected sympathisers" in Australia is small. Most are Australian citizens, which is why their visas cannot be cancelled.

For others, there is insufficient evidence to use in a court but the intelligence agencies are sure of their information.

Canberra's intelligence agencies also believe that the risk of terrorist attack in Australia has increased since September 11.

This is because Australia is involved in the US-led military campaign against al-Qa'ida in Afghanistan.

Also, the al-Qa'ida members who have fled into South-East Asia provide a substantial al-Qa'ida infrastructure near Australia.

Both the US and Europe have recently intensified homeland security which means al-Qa'ida is looking for other Western targets.

It was because of the presence of al-Qa'ida operatives that the Howard Government sought, through legislation subsequently amended and yet to pass parliament, the power to outlaw specific organisations.

The pattern in Western Europe and the US has been for al-Qa'ida operatives to set up-front organisations or take control of existing charities and divert funds for al-Qa'ida purposes.

Sometimes a single individual can divert money from an ostensibly charitable organisation for a terrorist purpose.

Canberra believes such mechanisms have been used in Australia and the Government, if it had received the legislative authority to do so, was planning to ban a small number of organisations.

[knighthawk]

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