Terror threat to Melbourne and LA assessed

Adam Yahiye Gadahn said al Qaeda wanted peace on Islam's terms. Picture / Reuters

CANBERRA - Anti-terrorist agencies were yesterday assessing a videotaped threat to attack Melbourne made by a man claiming to be from al Qaeda, the first direct warning to an Australian city.

Believed to be the work of an American member of the terror group, it is being taken seriously, although Australia has not lifted its threat level above its present 'medium' rating.

Issued on the anniversary of the attacks of September 11, 2001, the tape has alarmed a nation already anxious about the 'inevitability' of a terrorist outrage on Australian soil.

Prime Minister John Howard said: "It could also be the case that the person who has made these comments in the past has now - how shall I put it - demonstrated the capacity to deliver on those statements.

"Clearly our country has been a terrorist target long before the September 11 events. This only serves to remind us of the changed world in which we now live."

The tape, apparently made by US al Qaeda member Adam Yahiye Gadahn, named Melbourne as a future target: "Yesterday London and Madrid. Tomorrow, Los Angeles and Melbourne, God willing. At this time, don't count on us demonstrating restraint or compassion.

"We are Muslims. We love peace, but peace on our terms, peace as laid down by Islam, not the so-called peace of occupiers and dictators."

Gadahn, believed to have been recruited in a Los Angeles jail, is known to have trained with al Qaeda, to have acted as a translator, and to have made similar taped threats on its behalf that have been accepted as genuine by the US - although none have been carried out.

Al Qaeda expert Dr Bernard Reich, of the University of Virginia, yesterday told ABC radio that while the threat should be taken seriously, it had been made by a relatively low-ranking member of al Qaeda who would not normally be given the task of announcing targets to the world.

"My guess is this one isn't going to lead to anything, but it was an opportunistic effort because it was just prior to 9/11, and because he may well be trying to build his own credibility," Reich said.

"To put it bluntly, while I find LA an appealing target, I haven't figured out what Melbourne is."

Attorney-General Philip Ruddock told Southern Cross radio Australia was working with overseas agencies to assess the tape's threat.

"I agonise about whether or not we have taken sufficient steps to deal with what I know is a real threat in broad terms," he said.

In Melbourne, which is already preparing to mount a massive security blanket for next year's Commonwealth Games, Victorian Premier Steve Bracks said the tape had been designed to create fear.

"We would be playing into their hands if all of a sudden we said 'oh yes, we're fearful'," he said.

"The reality is that we have very sound, secure security arrangements in place."

A World Vision report has found Australians are more afraid of terrorism than environment disasters or economic collapse.

Boost for air security

* Australia's anti-terrorist air marshal programme will be beefed up with more recruits and overseas routes.

* Up to 40 more air marshals, officially called air security officers (ASOs), will be trained next year, bringing the number to 170.

* The Government is negotiating to extend the air security programme to more Southeast Asian destinations.

* The aviation squad is run by the Australian Federal Police.

* Up to 10 armed ASOs have flown together on flights.

* Marshals have been involved in one incident, when a 68-year-old man produced a Stanley knife aboard a Virgin Blue flight between Sydney and Cairns on June 10, 2003. The officers helped the crew to subdue the man without revealing their security role to passengers.

* Marshals earn about A$75,000 ($82,000) a year.

* The programme cost A$26 million last year.