Iraq man in death plot

An Iraqi man appeared in an Australian court yesterday charged with plotting to kill members of Iraq's former ruling Baath Party in the Middle Eastern country.

Khairallah Al Bunajim, 40, was charged with conspiracy to commit murder in the republic of Iraq when he appeared briefly at a court in the Western Australia state capital, Perth.

Al Bunajim was not required to enter a plea when he appeared before Magistrate Terence McIntyre. He was ordered held in custody until another pretrial hearing on August 9.

Australian Federal Police Commissioner Mick Keelty said the 40-year-old was arrested in Perth by a counter-terrorism team over his activities in Australia. "The person is an Iraqi who has been living in Australia for a number of years," Keelty told Australian radio.

A spokesman for the West Australian police force said the charge related to events between Monday and Wednesday this week.

Prime Minister John Howard, a close ally of the United States who sent 2000 military personnel to the US-led war in Iraq, said he could not comment on the case but it showed that Australia could not be complacent when it came to terrorist threats.

"It is a reminder that the terrorist threat is alive and well and we have no reason to imagine that things of a serious nature could not occur in Australia."

Australia has never suffered a major attack but 88 citizens were among the 202 people killed in October 2002 in bomb attacks in Bali. Three New Zealanders also died in the attack.

Meanwhile, a former Perth schoolteacher accused of links with the Southeast Asian Jemaah Islamiyah network has been traced in West Java, Indonesia.

Attorney-General Philip Ruddock said Australia had no immediate plans to extradite the man, who is being questioned by Indonesian authorities but has not been arrested.

"All I can indicate is he is of interest to us and investigations are continuing."

A British-born Perth resident Jack Roche, 50, was convicted of terrorism when he pleaded guilty in May in the Perth District Court to plotting to bomb the Israeli embassy in Canberra.

- REUTERS

Herald Feature: Iraq