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Terrorists 'plotted Sydney Olympics attack'
SINGAPORE -- Almost exactly a year before the September 11 attacks on the United States, the head of al Qaeda's operations in Asia was poised to attack the Sydney Olympics, a report said Tuesday. Quoting regional intelligence sources, the report in Singapore's Straits Times said the plot to attack the games was well advanced and showed Al Qaeda's regional arm, Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), was more established in Australia than authorities were aware of. According to the paper, intelligence officials believe the plot to attack the Sydney Games was hatched by Indonesian-born cleric Riduan Isamuddin, better known as Hambali -- the head of al Qaeda's Asian operations. It is not clear what form of attack was planned, or when it would have taken place during the two weeks that the Games were underway between September 15 and October 1, 2000. However, intelligence sources told the paper the plan was rejected by the head of JI operations in Australia, Abdul Rahim. Again, it is not known why the attack plans were rejected, but Hambali was reportedly "bitterly disappointed" as he had already been selected and trained a team to carry it out, the paper said. Asian operativeHambali, who is still at large, is regarded as al Qaeda's top representative in Asia with a place on the terror group's leadership committee, known as the "shurah." He is believed to have been behind a series of terrorist attacks and plots across Asia. Among those recruited by Hambali for the attack was an Indonesian-born operative who had previously taken part in JI operations in Ambon -- a province in eastern Indonesia where the group was stirring up clashes between Muslims and Christians that left thousands dead. Analysts say the apparent plot to target the Sydney Olympics would have coincided with the start of JI's active bombing campaign elsewhere in the region, which included the attack on the Jakarta Stock Exchange on September 14, 2000. It is unclear whether Hambali himself ever actually visited Australia to plan to Sydney attack, although there have been reports, denied by the Australian government, that he visited the country on at least one occasion. Poised to attack
Nonetheless, according to sources quoted by the Straits Times, the existence of the Olympics plot and the fact that a team was in place ready to carry it out shows the extent to which JI had entrenched itself within Australia. Citing regional intelligence sources, the Straits Times report said JI members based in Australia include Indonesian citizens with permanent resident status and Australian citizens who are Caucasians. The paper says that it was only after the horror of the Bali bombings on October 12 this year, which killed almost 200 people -- the majority of them young Australian tourists -- that Australian authorities came to recognize JI's reach and capabilities. Since then authorities have carried out a series of raids on suspected JI operatives living in Australia, detaining at least one suspect who officials say had received training at camps in Afghanistan.
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