Aussies fear terror attacks
2005-06-23 15:10
Sydney - Australian counter-terrorism officers raided several homes after an investigation revealed that Islamic extremists were planning attacks in Sydney and Melbourne, said police and reports on Thursday.
Newspapers said the famed Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge, both tourist landmarks, as well as train stations and the Stock Exchange in Victoria state capital Melbourne were believed to have been among the targets.
Commissioner Mick Keelty said: "It's vitally important that we disrupt activity before it gets a chance to take hold.
Keelty said: "The investigation's ongoing. It's too early to say what evidence will arise out of the search warrants."
Keelty gives no further details
At least six people were questioned - four in Melbourne, where four homes were raided on Wednesday, and two in Sydney.
Apart from confirming that the investigation had been under way for months, Keelty gave no further details.
Justice Minister Chris Ellison declined to say whether arrests were likely.
He said: "I'm not going to go into what is a very sensitive operational matter, nor comment on briefings I might have had."
Prime Minister John Howard backed the raids, saying: "I think Australians must understand, and I am sure they do, that the government and through its agencies ... is very vigilant indeed about potential threats.
"We can understand that they the threats are there, but we should also not be unduly concerned. We have highly professional men and women looking after our interests, and they deserve our continued 24-hour support."
Police need video footage
Newspapers reported that unnamed security sources said officers of Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) had tracked a number of known extremists for more than 10 months as they made a series of road trips between the two cities.
The Australian newspaper said a member of the Melbourne group seen taking video footage of two train stations and the Australian Stock Exchange building, told police he needed the footage to help him train as a taxi driver.
The sources said the Sydney group had been seen using small boats to spy on the Opera House and Harbour Bridge.
The reports said police believed several of the men had undergone paramilitary training in Afghanistan with the Pakistani militant group, Lashkar-e-Taiba, which Australia banned as a terrorist organisation in 2003.
Australia had already charged several Muslims under terrorism laws adopted since the September 11 attacks on the United States, at least one of them allegedly linked to Lashkar-e-Taiba.