PRIME Minister John Howard agrees with a leading French terrorist investigator that Australia may be a terrorism target. French judge Jean-Louis Bruguiere believes al-Qaeda is preparing an attack on a major financial centre such as Sydney, Tokyo or Singapore, to undermine investor confidence in the Asia-Pacific region. "We have elements of information that make us think that countries in this region, especially Japan, could have been targeted," the Financial Times newspaper quoted Mr Bruguiere as saying. "Any attack on a financial market like Japan would mechanically have an important economic impact on the confidence of investors. Other countries in this region, such as Singapore and Australia, are also potential targets..."Napoleon Bonaparte defined the examining magistrate as "the most powerful man in France." No French examining magistrate is more powerful than Jean-Louis Bruguiere. He has been chasing and smiting terrorists for 20 years.