- News>
- World
US says Australian trained to be Al-Qaeda terrorist
Sydney, July 22: US authorities have alleged that an Australian detainee facing possible trial before a military tribunal received months of advanced terrorism training at Al-Qaeda Camps, officials said today.
Sydney, July 22: US authorities have alleged that
an Australian detainee facing possible trial before a military
tribunal received months of advanced terrorism training at
Al-Qaeda Camps, officials said today.
The suspect, David Hicks, has been held at a US military camp at Guantanamo bay, Cuba, since being captured by American forces in Afghanistan 20 months ago, but no charges or evidence against him have been released. Australian Foreign minister Alexander Downer confirmed today that the US case against hicks alleges that he received extensive training from Osama Bin Laden's terrorist network. "I can't give you an exact date, but certainly we understand that David Hicks has been training with Al-Qaeda," Downer told reporters today. "And more than that we understand that the training was during the period 2000-2001, over a number of months and it included weapons training, it included surveillance training and so on," he said.
"This is somebody who we are pretty concerned about," he added.
Australian Justice minister Chris Ellison was due to arrive in Washington tomorrow for high-level talks on the fate of hicks and Mamdouh Habib, a second Australian among the 600 "enemy combattants" captured in Afghanistan and being held in Guantanamo bay.
Hicks has been singled out along with two Britons and three other men to become the first detainees to face a military tribunal, although action against the suspects was suspended last week so that British and Australian officials could discuss the case against their nationals.
Bureau Report.
The suspect, David Hicks, has been held at a US military camp at Guantanamo bay, Cuba, since being captured by American forces in Afghanistan 20 months ago, but no charges or evidence against him have been released. Australian Foreign minister Alexander Downer confirmed today that the US case against hicks alleges that he received extensive training from Osama Bin Laden's terrorist network. "I can't give you an exact date, but certainly we understand that David Hicks has been training with Al-Qaeda," Downer told reporters today. "And more than that we understand that the training was during the period 2000-2001, over a number of months and it included weapons training, it included surveillance training and so on," he said.
"This is somebody who we are pretty concerned about," he added.
Australian Justice minister Chris Ellison was due to arrive in Washington tomorrow for high-level talks on the fate of hicks and Mamdouh Habib, a second Australian among the 600 "enemy combattants" captured in Afghanistan and being held in Guantanamo bay.
Hicks has been singled out along with two Britons and three other men to become the first detainees to face a military tribunal, although action against the suspects was suspended last week so that British and Australian officials could discuss the case against their nationals.
Bureau Report.