| Submit your comments on this article |
| Down Under |
| ASIO warns of Australian terror cell |
| 2005-11-01 |
| ASIO has publicly warned for the first time of the existence of a home-grown terror threat - Australian-born Islamic extremists. The intelligence agency has detailed its concerns about militant Islam in Australia and extremists who advocate violence against "un-Islamic governments". Its annual report says some Islamic extremists living in Australia have chosen to lean heavily on their perception of conflict as a battle between "Muslims and infidels". "This perception engenders a sense of isolation and rejection, which is difficult for moderate elements in the Australian community to counteract, and the moderates are perceived to be part of the problem by the extremists." The concern about home-grown Muslim extremists has been the key factor driving the Howard Government's tough new anti-terrorism laws, expected to be introduced into Parliament this week. ASIO's annual report confirms it continues to identify Australians who have undertaken terrorist training or engaged in militant jihad. It says several Australian-born Islamic extremists have participated in terrorist training overseas, while others have never travelled abroad. ASIO is believed to hold genuine security concerns about an estimated 700-800 Muslims in Australia who have expressed support for politically motivated violence. About 80 people resident in Australia, some of whom will be subject to the Government's planned control orders, are known to have undertaken terrorist training in Pakistan and Afghanistan. According to ASIO, Islamic extremists in Australia generally adhere to a "Salafist-Takhiri" interpretation of Islam, which engenders a "sense of hostility and isolation towards the broader Australian society". It says most extremists are influenced by events overseas, with some viewing the US-led invasion of Iraq as an attack on all Muslims. "We know from our own investigations and those of our international liaison partners that Australia has been of interest to terrorists every year for the last six years," the report says. "We must expect that Australia and its interests here and around the world will continue to be at threat from terrorist attacks, not only against diplomatic missions but also against a range of soft targets and critical infrastructure." ASIO says extremist groups and individuals who are either based in Australia or have links to Australia remain "enduring priorities for investigation". ASIO is rapidly expanding to meet the threat, hiring 224 recruits in 2004-05 - its biggest annual intake so far. Staff numbers will reach about 1150 by next June, eventually reaching 1860 by 2010-11. The report, written before the latest Bali bombings, judges that Australian interests in much of Southeast Asia remain at threat from Jemaah Islamiah. It notes that, even if key leaders Azahari Husin and Noordin Top are captured, the threat posed by JI will continue. It says JI's failure to successfully attack the Australian embassy in Jakarta in September last year would likely influence planning for future attacks against Australian interests. "JI and its associated groups and like-minded individuals are resilient and will retain a capacity to exploit support networks to facilitate further attacks." In 2004-05, ASIO questioned 10 people under warrant who had links to extremist individuals or groups abroad. None were detained, but one person was questioned for almost 16 hours. Adverse security assessments resulted in the cancellation of 12 passports, taking the total to 32 since September 11, 2001. A total of 12 people were denied entry to Australia in 2004-05, including two unauthorised arrivals. According to the annual report, 43 per cent of ASIO's staff are women and they make up 26per cent of senior officers. The number of staff drawn from non-Australian backgrounds has risen from 11 to 14 per cent. In 2004-05, a total of 5046 unauthorised arrivals were referred to ASIO for assessment for a Further Protection Visa. A total of 4223 assessments were provided to the Department of Immigration, an increase of 200per cent on the previous year. |
| Posted by:God Save The World AKA Oztralian |