Terror threat involved possible Melbourne, Sydney targets

CANBERRA - The new terrorist threat announced by the government involved suspects filming possible targets in Melbourne and one person who trained with a terrorist group, a leading analyst says.

Clive Williams, an expert on terrorism who heads Canberra's Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, said the potential threat revealed yesterday may involve a person who trained with the listed terrorist organisation Lashkar-e-Tayyiba in Pakistan.

"At this stage, as I understand it, the activity is largely in the very early planning stages. It's two persons in Sydney talking to others in Melbourne about potential targets," Dr Williams told the Nine Network.

"One of the persons apparently was identified by an American informant as having attended an LET - a Lashkar-e-Tayyiba - camp in Pakistan, and they've been talking to others in Melbourne apparently about what sort of targets they could attack.

"So it's sort of very early stages and that's why the government wants to change the law in the way it does."

Dr Williams later told ABC radio that police conducted three raids in Sydney in June in relation to the threat and the suspects had identified targets in Melbourne.

"I believe that (the suspects) had videoed some potential targets in Melbourne," he said.

Prime Minister John Howard has rejected suggestions his announcement of a potential terrorist threat was timed to coincide with the introduction of controversial new counter-terrorism laws.

Mr Howard said he had received intelligence indicating an attack on Australia was possible.

Although he refused to give details, he said an urgent amendment to existing anti-terrorism laws was required to strengthen the capacity of law enforcement agencies to protect Australians.

The Senate is being recalled so that the legislation can be enacted today, immediately giving police greater powers to arrest terror suspects.

Dr Williams said the government's decision to announce the legislative change may have compromised the ability of authorities to charge the suspects.

"To change the legislation you had to have a reason for it and the prime minister had to come forward with some reason for doing that, which is what he's done" he said.

"At the same time of course it's now compromised the operation and means that it'll probably be very difficult to get a conviction.

"The alternative of course was to allow it go through to the point where there was specificity as to time and place, but then there's the danger of it getting closer to actual fruition, so may maybe the government didn't want to take that chance."

The suspects could still be picked up for questioning, Dr Williams said.

- AAP