The Australian Foreign Minister, Mr. Alexander Downer, said today that Canberra was `grateful' for the arrest by Indian authorities of the terrorist said to have plotted strikes in India, Australia and the United Kingdom. ``I don't think this is a hoax or should be treated as a hoax,'' Mr. Downer told an Australian broadcasting network.
According to Mr. Downer, ``He (the arrested man) had done pilot training apparently in Australia and in Britain so presumably the kind of suicide attack he was contemplating was using aircraft.'' Separately, the Australian Attorney-General, Mr. Daryl Williams, said the arrested man, whom he chose not to identify, had trained as a pilot in Australia in 1997-1998.
``He claims that he undertook that (pilot) training for terrorist purposes....however we haven't been able to confirm the veracity of that claim,'' he stated. ``Can I say that we are not aware of any specific threat in relation to this man or any other person for that matter in Australia,'' he maintained. Bureau Report