A MASKED man believed to be one of Asia's most wanted militants has warned Western countries, especially Australia, of more attacks in a video found last week by Indonesian anti-terrorist police. The video was broadcast on Metro TV today. Vice President Jusuf Kalla, quoted by the Kompas newspaper, said he believed the militant on the tape was Malaysian Noordin Top, a senior operative of Jemaah Islamiah, a Southeast Asian group seen as the regional arm of al-Qaeda.
"We repeat that America, Australia, England and Italy are all our enemies," said the militant, wearing a black balaclava and constantly pointing his right finger in the air. "We especially remind Australia that you, Downer and Howard, are killing Australia, leading it into darkness and misfortune and mujahedeen terror," he said, referring to Prime Minister John Howard and Foreign Minister Alexander Downer.
"Know that as long as you (all) continue to colonise the land of Iraq and Afghanistan and intimidate Muslims then you too will feel our intimidation and terror." The video marks the first time militant threats have been made on tapes found in the world's most populous Muslim nation, a practise common among radicals in the Middle East. The militant also warned anyone who supported US President George W. Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair. "We remind that those who support Bush and Blair are also our enemies.
The infidel rulers, the apostate rulers, those who oppress Muslims and victimise ulamas, the mujahedeen, they are our enemies too. The ones we target in our attacks," he said. The video was among several found by police last week as part of a series of raids that resulted in the killing of Azahari bin Husin, the master bombmaker of Jemaah Islamiah. Police have been hunting Azahari and Top since the 2002 Bali bombings that killed 202 people, including 88 Australians.
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