Al Qaeda leader tried to establish NZ business, author claims

1.00pm

New Zealand police are investigating claims that al Qaeda second-in-command Ayman al-Zawahri sought sanctuary in New Zealand under the fake name "Peter".

Pakistani journalist and biographer Hamid Mir says al-Zawahri was posing as a businessman here in the 1990s.

"He was trying to establish some business office and maybe he was trying to hide in New Zealand," he told National Radio today.

He said the Egyptian-born surgeon fled to New Zealand after being arrested then released in Russia. Mir did not provide a date, but said al-Zawahri's aides told him their boss travelled to New Zealand between 1992 and 1996.

Al-Zawahri used several different passports, and Mir did not know which one he used to enter New Zealand, how many times he came here, nor the second name he used.

However, aides told him that al-Zawahri travelled extensively from 1992-96, and was trying to set up businesses in Auckland, Geneva, London and Moscow.

He was arrested in Russia on a Sudanese passport, and came to New Zealand with his aides after his release, possibly to hide, Mir said.

New Zealand was not a target for terrorist attacks -- although he did not rule out that New Zealand was a conduit to Australia.

"Yes, New Zealand is a supporter of American policies... but I don't think they (al Qaeda) will target New Zealand."

Their list contained Pakistan, Australia, United States, England, Spain, Italy "but not New Zealand".

New Zealand police counter-terrorism boss Assistant Commissioner Jon White said police would be following the new leads given by Mir today.

"You can be assured that the checks that immediately spring to mind and maybe some others will be instituted today," he told National Radio.

New Zealand was liaising closely with Australian authorities over the investigation.

"We consider the terrorist threat in New Zealand to be generally low.

"But we are not being complacent about that, we are monitoring international events very closely and certainly are taking all the steps that we can to make sure that we aren't seen as a safe haven or a conduit to other countries."

His comments come as New Zealand launches its first day of major anti-terrorism exercises.

Prime Minister Helen Clark said today there was no evidence al-Zawahri had visited New Zealand, and that the Islamic communities here had not heard of such a visit.

New Zealand had implemented better screening procedures for people entering New Zealand since the September 11 attacks on the US.

However, it was possible people such as al-Zawahri, who had a number of aliases, could have slipped into the country under an alias that was not known.

"We would be alert to all of them (his aliases) but if ourselves, Australia, the United States and other western democracies don't have all the aliases, it's always possible that people can slip in," Miss Clark told TVNZ.

Meanwhile, doubts have been cast on reports that al-Zawahri is cornered near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.

Mir, who is Osama bin Laden's biographer, has claimed in an interview with Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) that al-Zawahri visited New Zealand to recruit militants.

The full interview is to be aired today.

Al-Zawahri is al Qaeda No 2 to Osama bin Laden, the world's most sought-after terrorist accused of masterminding the September 11 attacks.

Mir said in the 1990s al-Zawahri was on a mission to organise his network all over the world.

Al-Zawahri told him he travelled to New Zealand to "meet some of his people", then went on to Australia and Indonesia.

Australian Attorney-General, Philip Ruddock said the government could not rule out the possibility that al-Zawahri visited Australia in the 1990s, but not under his own name.

Mir was the first journalist to interview bin Laden after the attacks on the United States.

Al-Zawahri was believed to be the operational commander of al Qaeda and a key planner of September 11, and the 1998 bombings of US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, which killed more than 200.

In May last year, al-Zawahri had ordered Muslims to attack Australians and Australian interests, exhorting them to "turn the earth under their feet into fire".

Until he became a major terror suspect, al-Zawahri travelled frequently around the world using false passports and at least 10 known aliases.

Mir said Australia had become a target of al Qaeda because of its role as a staunch ally of the US-led war against terror.

- NZPA