Terrorist trains sights on Australia

JAKARTA - A masked man believed to be one of Asia's most wanted militants has used a videotape to warn Western countries, especially Australia, of more attacks.

The video, which was found last week by Indonesian anti-terrorist police, was broadcast yesterday on Indonesia's Metro television.

Vice-President Jusuf Kalla, quoted by the Kompas newspaper, said he believed the militant on the tape was Malaysian Noordin Mohamad Top, a senior operative of al Qaeda-linked Jemaah Islamiyah.

"We repeat that America, Australia, England and Italy are all our enemies," said the militant, wearing a black balaclava and constantly pointing his right finger in the air.

"We especially remind Australia that you, Downer and Howard, are killing Australia, leading it into darkness and misfortune and mujahideen terror," he said, referring to Australia's Prime Minister John Howard and Foreign Minister Alexander Downer.

"Especially you. Remember that."

"Know that as long as you [all] continue to colonise the land of Iraq and Afghanistan and intimidate Muslims then you too will feel our intimidation and terror."

Kalla insisted Top was the militant in the video. The video marks the first time militant threats have been made on tapes found in Indonesia.

Downer said Australia was taking the tape seriously but would not be cowed: "No democratic country should be intimidated by a fanatic."

Speaking to reporters in Busan, South Korea, where he is attending an Asia-Pacific summit, Howard said terrorists were opportunistic and would link their deeds to decisions taken by Western countries.

He repeated his view that Australia was a target long before becoming involved in the Iraq war.

"Whatever the true explanation is, no self-respecting democracy can or will have its foreign policy determined by threats from terrorists."

The militant also warned "that those who support Bush and Blair are also our enemies".

"The infidel rulers, the apostate rulers, those who oppress Muslims and victimise, they are our enemies we target in our attacks."

The video was among several found last week as part of raids that resulted in the death of Azahari bin Husin, the master bombmaker of Jemaah Islamiah. The tapes were discovered in central Java at a house police said was rented by Top.

Police have been hunting Azahari and Top since the 2002 Bali bombings that killed 202 people, including 88 Australians. Both men have also been blamed for other attacks, including a car bomb blast outside the Australian Embassy in Jakarta last year that killed 10 people.

The video showed three young suicide bombers who killed 20 people in attacks on restaurants on the resort island of Bali on October 1. One of the three said they would be in heaven once it was aired.

Kalla showed the video to leading Muslim clerics, Metro said.

- REUTERS, AAP