Terror Links Run Deep

Keith Moor


Counter-terrorism agencies believe extremists who may have been planning to attack the Melbourne Stock Exchange were also looking at targets in Sydney.

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Raided: One of the homes in East Brunswick.

The Herald Sun has been told a radical Islamic network carried out reconnaissance missions on central Melbourne, Sydney Harbour Bridge and two Sydney oil refineries.

ASIO officers -- assisted by Victoria Police and Federal Police -- raided at least eight properties in Victoria and NSW this week. They searched homes, seized documents and questioned suspected cell members. Members of Victoria's joint counter-terrorism group established that there were links between the Melbourne and Sydney extremists about 18 months ago. At least a dozen members have been under physical and electronic surveillance. Sources say a senior cell member is an associate of jailed Australian terrorist Saleh Jamal. Jamal, 29, fled after a 1998 drive-by shooting at Lakemba police station in Sydney. He was convicted this year in a Lebanese military court of possessing weapons and explosives, forging an Australian passport, forming a group and planning acts that endangered state security. "The Australian group has talked about following Jamal's lead and doing the same thing here," an intelligence source said. Melbourne cell members were allegedly heard discussing where they might find an explosives expert. Khazal, 34, was this year convicted in his absence in a Beirut court of forging an Australian passport for Jamal. Victoria's joint counter terrorism group -- consisting of Victoria Police, AFP and ASIO officers -- took over the operation and worked closely with its NSW counterpart. Melbourne and Sydney cell members have been observed meeting regularly during the past year and attending training camps in Victoria and rural NSW. Several Melbourne members travelled to a camp in NSW where some weapons training took place. The counter terrorism group has not charged cell members because there has been more talk than action. "There has been plenty of talk about their motivation to commit a terrorist act, but no specific intent," the source said. Premier Steve Bracks and his NSW counterpart Bob Carr have been briefed about the Melbourne and Sydney cells during the past 18 months. Premier Carr, or a senior government figure representing him, is believed to have been personally involved in a joint decision to disrupt the activities of the Sydney cell just before New Year's Eve in 2003. Officers observed cell members paying close attention to the area where more than a million people gather under the Harbour Bridge for the annual fireworks display. Cell members used two small boats to check out the harbour and were also observed filming at the North Sydney and Kurnell oil refineries. Counter terrorism agents didn't have enough evidence to arrest them. But they called a top level meeting -- believed to involve Premier Carr or his representatives -- to discuss alternatives as they feared the group was planning a New Year's Eve attack -- probably using one of their boats as a floating bomb. A decision was made to disrupt cell members by sending police on the pretence of checking their boat registrations. One of the boats had been disposed of, but the other was still at the home of a suspect. "We basically put the wind up them, let them know we knew what they were up to and also took the opportunity to ensure the boat was disabled so it couldn't be used on New Year's Eve," the source said. Similar disruptive techniques were used this week during ASIO raids in Melbourne and Sydney. A decision was made that after 18 months of surveillance without getting enough evidence to lay charges, alerting the extremists that authorities were on to them made sense. Cell members allegedly cased the Melbourne Stock Exchange building last year. Somebody inside the Collins St building rang the Federal Government terrorism hotline to report a group of suspicious people filming outside the tower. The call wasn't needed as members of Victoria's joint counter terrorism group had followed the cell members to the Stock Exchange and were watching them. It is believed the extremists also filmed Flinders St Station. Prime Minister John Howard yesterday said ASIO and the AFP were very vigilant about potential threats. "We should understand that they (threats) are there, but we should also not be unduly concerned. We have highly professional men and women who are looking after our interests and they deserve our continued 24-hour support," he said. AFP Commissioner Mick Keelty said it was too early to say what evidence would arise from this week's raids. "It's vitally important that we disrupt activity before it gets a chance to take hold and that's been the focus of not only the state and territory police and ourselves, but also ASIO," he said. Mr Keelty praised Victoria Police for identifying the Melbourne cell. "They are the ones that brought the initial piece of intelligence to us," he said.

"The operation has been going for many months. It has involved Victorian police, NSW police, AFP and ASIO in a joint operation that's been running across two states."