Bali blast suspect group outlawed

By JOHN ARMSTRONG political editor

The Government has used its new Terrorism Suppression Act to declare the Islamic fundamentalist Jemaah Islamiyah group a terrorist organisation.

Jemaah Islamiyah is the main suspect in the Bali bombing.

The declaration outlaws the group in New Zealand.

It was made by the Prime Minister in consultation with Attorney-General Margaret Wilson under sweeping provisions in the act, which became law two weeks ago.

Scores of groups and individuals - including Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda - are already designated as terrorists under New Zealand's previous anti-terrorism regulations, in line with United Nations rulings.

The latest designation follows a UN Security Council decision to identify Jemaah Islamiyah as a terrorist group, made last week after a request from Australia, New Zealand and Indonesia.

In Jakarta, investigators have identified one of three suspects wanted for the Bali bombing.

"Out of the three men whose faces we have sketched, one has been identified," said General Da'i Bachtiar, Indonesia's police chief.

He would not release the name of the man, who has not been arrested.

In Australia, intelligence agents and police armed with automatic weapons this week raided homes of Indonesian Muslims in Perth and Sydney in a hunt for associates of Jemaah Islamiyah.

And New Zealand is upgrading its travel caution for East Timor after receiving "additional information" from Canberra following earlier Portuguese warnings of a bombing plot by Islamic militants.

Helen Clark, who is also Minister in Charge of the Security Intelligence Service, said Jemaah Islamiyah had "no known presence" in New Zealand.

"If it comes to our attention that there were people associated with it, no doubt some action would follow."

The group had been assessed to have the capability and the intent to conduct terrorist attacks.

It had already participated in such acts in an indiscriminate manner against diplomatic, civilian and military targets.

Designating Jemaah Islamiyah as a terrorist entity would deter New Zealanders from becoming "inadvertently" involved in its activities.

The Government's declaration will make it an offence to be part of Jemaah Islamiyah, recruit members, provide or collect money for it, or make property or financial services available to it. Offences under the act carry jail terms of up to 14 years.

The Australian raids included the homes of people who attended lectures in Sydney in 1997 by Jemaah Islamiyah's leader, Indonesian cleric Abu Bakar Bashir.

Helen Clark's office refused to reveal whether any New Zealanders had been identified as attending the lectures, saying she did not comment on intelligence matters.

The Prime Minister said the United Nations had identified Jemaah Islamiyah as a terrorist organisation based on information drawn from sources including Jemaah Islamiyah detainees, confidential sources and media reports.

"It has cells operating in Southeast Asia," she said.

"The organisation has links to al Qaeda, based on a shared ideology and co-operation in relation to terrorist activities and training."

In Canberra, Australia's top intelligence agent said al Qaeda was "almost certainly" involved in the Bali bombing.

The director-general of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, Dennis Richardson, also warned that more terror attacks would happen.

"Of that we can be certain," Mr Richardson told a conference on homeland security.



New Zealand's move yesterday to upgrade the travel warning on East Timor came after the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported on Wednesday that the Portuguese Army had warned of a plot by Islamic militants to bomb US, Portuguese and Australian interests there.

Likely targets include a branch of the ANZ bank and popular Dili bars.