Rocket Igniters 'A Bomb Trigger'   NEW!!!

Model rocket igniters found in the Perth home of an Islamic convert accused of planning to blow up Canberra's Israeli embassy could have been used to set off a truck bomb, an explosives expert said.

Australian Federal Police forensic analyst David Royds told the trial of Jack Roche that two packets of igniters, bought in hobby shops in Perth, could have acted as a remote trigger for an explosive device.

Mr Royds also said that with "worrying" amounts of available internet material describing how to make bombs, it was entirely possible the igniters could have been linked to a mobile phone to make a remote control device.

Asked if they could be used to detonate a truckload of TNT, Mr Royds said: "They most certainly could be used for that".   more > >

Porn Princess to Sue Arab Media for 'Breach of Copyright' Over Fake Iraq 'Rape' Photos   NEW!!!

The 27-year old porn filmmaker behind the fake rape photos that sparked an international controversy has spoken out on the flap from her office in Budapest, Hungary.

The bogus 'gang-rape' photos that were published around the world in newspapers and websites and presented as evidence of U.S. crimes in Iraq or as alleged evidence, were still shots taken from porn movies produced by Andrea Marchand. The movies and still shots appear on the Hungarian website "Sex in War."

The Budapest-based filmmaker has been making graphic movies for the past two years. Marchand produces films for "Buy Film Ready," a production house that has outlets in Paris, Budapest and Lausanne, Switzerland.

"I heard about this and saw those articles in some newspapers and on the Internet and I really don't understand how people can use pictures that they don't have any rights to and without asking me," said Marchand. "I heard also that a lot of Arabic newspapers published my pictures also and reported that they are true pics."   more > >

Sydney CBD in Mock Terror Attack   NEW!!!

Australia's ability to deal with a suicide bomber blowing up a city office building will be put to the test next week in the latest Anti-Terrorism exercise.

The mock attack on an office building in Sydney, codenamed Operation Explorer, will put search-and-rescue techniques under the spotlight as a new Federal Government report warns that existing urban capability "would be insufficient should a large-scale incident occur".   more > >

Bin Laden 'A Very Nice Man' - Aussie Terror Plotter   NEW!!!

A British-born Australian Terror suspect accused of plotting to bomb the Israeli embassy in Canberra had lunch with al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan and thought he was a very nice man, a court heard.

A taped conversation between Jack Roche who has pleaded not guilty to plotting to blow up the embassy and a journalist from The Australian newspaper, was played in Perth District Court.

Roche, 50, faces a maximum 25-year sentence if convicted.

Yeah a very nice man ... I would rather meet him than George Bush I can tell you, he told the reporter. He is a very nice man, but I only met him for a short time ... just outside Kandahar.

Roche told the reporter he sat down to start eating, and I looked across and I said whoah thats like the bloke on the telly.   more > >

Australia to Scale Back Peacekeeping Forces in E. Timor   NEW!!!

Australia is scaling back its peacekeeping duties in East Timor as the fledgling nation prepares to mark the second anniversary of independence from Indonesia. But there are still concerns about looming threats to East Timor's long-term security.

The world's newest nation is preparing to take responsibility for its own security. The United Nations has trained East Timor's Police and Military but tough challenges lie ahead. There are reports that armed Militias continue to cross the border from Indonesian-controlled West Timor.   more > >

Moslem Militia Boss Back at East Timor Border   NEW!!!

The most senior of the former Moslem Militia commanders in East Timor has torn up an agreement he made with the Indonesian Army to leave the border area in West Timor and is now building a new house within sight of the country where he is wanted for murder.

Joao Tavares, described by United Nations war crimes prosecutors as the "East Timor Supreme Moslem Militia Commander", left the West Timor border town of Atambua in August last year under a deal funded by the European Union.   more > >

'Bomb' Book in Roche's Bedroom   NEW!!!

Two bound books labelled "Terrorism Hand-book" and "How to Make Bombs" were found in Jack Roche's Sydney apartment while he was allegedly overseas meeting al-Qaeda's leaders, a Perth court has been told.

About two years later - and across the country in Perth - Federal Police found ignitors for model rockets in a suitcase in Roche's suburban unit. The ignitors were apparently purchased in September 2000, about three months after he returned from a trip to Afghanistan where he trained in using explosives.

Jacqueline Wood - who in early 2000 was the partner of Roche's son, Jens Holland - told the Perth District Court she found a large published book while tidying up the living room of the unit Roche then rented in the southwest Sydney suburb of Lakemba.   more > >

Retreat in Iraq Win for Terror, says PM   NEW!!!

Prime Minister John Howard has warned failure in Iraq would hand Terrorists an enormous victory with "far-reaching consequences" for Australia and Democracy.

Branding Iraq a "critical confrontation in the War against Terror", Mr Howard said a retreat or weakening would not appease Terrorists who despised Australia.

He warned retreating would erode the values Australians cherished, such as tolerance, opportunity, security and neighbourly respect.

"Australian withdrawal from Iraq would not buy immunity from Terrorist attacks," he said.   more > >

Aussies Questioned by Terror Police   NEW!!!

Kenyan Anti-Terrorism Police are questioning three people - two with Australian passports - detained while trying to book rooms at a hotel near the Israeli embassy without identification papers, a Kenyan Police spokesman has said.

A Somali-born Moslem man and a Bosnian-born Moslem woman - who later produced Australian passports - and a Kenyan Moslem of Somali descent were arrested Sunday after hotel workers alerted Para-Military Police guarding the embassy that suspicious individuals were at the hotel, Superintendant Jaspher Ombati said.   more > >

Wynyard Station Part of Roche Bomb Plot Video: Court   NEW!!!

Al-Qaeda conspirator Jack Roche drove around Sydney and Canberra filming buildings as part of a Terrorist plot, a court has heard.

Video footage, shown in Perth District Court, featured buildings and parking bays in York Street, Margaret Street and Erskine Street in Sydney, as well as the entrance to Wynyard Station.

Roche's son, Jens Tobias Holland, was a passenger while Roche drove around Canberra, where he was once asked by a passerby what he was doing outside embassies with a video camera.

"Fascinated with the layout of Canberra," a voice identified as Roche's replied.

"Is that what it is," the passerby answered. "I didn't think you were going to bomb the joint or anything."   more > >

Australia 'Could Not Handle Large-Scale Incident'   NEW!!!

Australia's search and rescue authorities would be hard-pressed to cope with a large-scale building collapse like that of September 11, or similar damage to that caused by the Madrid or Bali Terror attacks, a Government-commissioned review of lessons learnt from the US attacks shows.

The program was conducted in March last year and involved Australian emergency response personnel plus some United States officials involved in September 11 recovery operations.   more > >

No Retreat From Iraq, says PM   NEW!!!

As Iraq continues its slide into disorder in the wake of the killing of Governing Council chief Izzadine Saleem, John Howard has again ruled out any possibility of an early Australian troop pullout.

The Prime Minister set out a detailed defence of Australia's involvement in Iraq in a speech to the Institute of Public Affairs in Melbourne.

"I will ... deal with some of the more absurd arguments being advanced at the present time suggesting we should walk away from our responsibilities," he told ABC Radio. "If the Coalition were to retreat from Iraq, it would deliver an enormous victory for International Terrorism."   more > >

Gays Attacked At Palestinian Protest   NEW!!!

(London) - Members of two British Gay Rights groups were attacked when they attempted to participate in a demonstration for Palestinian rights.

OutRage and Queer Youth Alliance went to the protest march at Trafalgar Square to show their support for people of Palestine. But they also urged the Palestinian Authority to halt the arrest, torture and murder of homosexuals.   more > >

'Jihad Jack' Roche's Terror Links   NEW!!!

A truck loaded with explosives was to be used to bomb the Israeli Embassy in Canberra - and any victims would be simply "casualties of war", the District Court in Perth was told.

The man behind the plot, 50-year-old Jack Roche, of South Perth, travelled to a secret camp in Afghanistan where he met al-Qaeda leaders and sat down at a table with Osama bin Laden.

Prosecutor Ron Davies QC told the jury that Roche returned to Australia to open a Terrorist cell and start surveillance ahead of the planned bombings. The motive was Osama bin Laden's desire to bring the plight of Palestine to the world's attention.

Roche has pleaded not guilty to conspiring with others - including al-Qaeda operatives named as Mukhtar, Abu Hafs and Saif - to intentionally destroy or damage by means of explosive the Israeli Embassy with intent to endanger lives.   more > >

Anarchist Jihad in London   NEW!!!

JihadWatch.Org drew our attention to this notice from London Indymedia, and they note that the mainstream media generally doesn't cover joint activities by Anarchist and Jihadist groups.

But the Far Left's links with radical Islam are increasingly obvious. Comments JihadWatch.Org: "The London Anarchists protested Mark and Spencer's Department Store, because one of the founders was Jewish, and because the department store is willing to do business with Israel. One of the protestors repeatedly shouted 'Heil Hitler'. The original report of the M&S Anarchist protest was edited to remove the text celebrating the killing of Israeli soldiers by Anarchists: 'heroic killing of 6 Zionist soldiers', where it is discussed at: http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2004/05/291508.html.

The Anti-Semitic nature of the Anarchist organizations continues to become evident as it is increasingly difficult to discern the difference between Anarchist and Nazi organizations."   more > >

Chemical Weapons Find in Iraq   NEW!!!

A roadside bomb containing the nerve agent Sarin exploded near an American military convoy in Baghdad, the US military has revealed.

It was the second confirmed finding of any of the banned weapons upon which the United States based its case for the Iraq War.   more > >

JI Stays in Indonesian Terror Pledge   NEW!!!

Indonesia's leading Presidential candidate wants stronger Counter-Terror co-operation with Australia, but has refused to ban the Terror Group responsible for the Bali bombing.

Retired four-star general Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said that if elected President this year he would seek improved relations with Australia. "It's part of our foreign policy that should be strengthened," he said.   more > >

Months of High Petrol Prices   NEW!!!

Aussie motorists are facing the prospect of record petrol prices for months because of the soaring cost of crude oil.

Crude oil surged to an all-time high of $US 42 a barrel in New York, mainly because of fears of Terrorist attacks in Iraq and oil kingpin Saudi Arabia.   more > >