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Australia probes report warnings received before Bali blast
Sydney, Nov 16: An inquiry has been ordered into claims a warning was given about a terrorist attack on Australians in Indonesia before the Bali bombing, Prime Minister John Howard said today.
Sydney, Nov 16: An inquiry has been ordered into claims a warning was given about a terrorist attack on Australians in Indonesia before the Bali bombing, Prime Minister John Howard said today.
The Sydney morning herald, citing an senior western diplomat, said a specific warning was issued that the extremist Islamic group Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) planned a bombing to coincide with the first anniversary of the beginning of the war in Afghanistan. Australia received "explicit" warnings that the now outlawed terror group would target Indonesia to attack the United States and its allies when they least suspected, the paper said.
Indonesian police have said that chief Bali bomb suspect Amrozi was influenced by the hardline Islamic cleric Abu Bakar Bashir, the alleged spiritual leader of JI. The Washington-based diplomat was reported to have said the warnings were clear and were going to coincide with the October 7 anniversary of the launch of the Afghan conflict.
The paper said the threat had been apparently passed to western embassies in South East Asia a few weeks before the Bali attack on October 12 in which more than 190 people died, around half of them Australian.
"We knew it was going to be in Indonesia and involve the region," the diplomat told the paper. "It was very specifically from Jemaah Islamiyah." Howard said he was unaware any specific warning about a bombing in Indonesia at that time had been received.
"It is certainly not in accord with any information that is in my possession, but I will naturally have some inquiries made about it," he added.
Bureau Report
The Sydney morning herald, citing an senior western diplomat, said a specific warning was issued that the extremist Islamic group Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) planned a bombing to coincide with the first anniversary of the beginning of the war in Afghanistan. Australia received "explicit" warnings that the now outlawed terror group would target Indonesia to attack the United States and its allies when they least suspected, the paper said.
Indonesian police have said that chief Bali bomb suspect Amrozi was influenced by the hardline Islamic cleric Abu Bakar Bashir, the alleged spiritual leader of JI. The Washington-based diplomat was reported to have said the warnings were clear and were going to coincide with the October 7 anniversary of the launch of the Afghan conflict.
The paper said the threat had been apparently passed to western embassies in South East Asia a few weeks before the Bali attack on October 12 in which more than 190 people died, around half of them Australian.
"We knew it was going to be in Indonesia and involve the region," the diplomat told the paper. "It was very specifically from Jemaah Islamiyah." Howard said he was unaware any specific warning about a bombing in Indonesia at that time had been received.
"It is certainly not in accord with any information that is in my possession, but I will naturally have some inquiries made about it," he added.
Bureau Report