Prime Minister Abbott warns - risk of terror executions by Islamists here in Australia
Friday, 22 August 2014
Stefanie Balogh writing in The Australian today:
Risk of terror executions on home soil: PM
TONY Abbott has warned that attacks such as the beheading of American journalist James Foley could happen on Australian soil without constant vigilance, because of the extremist threat posed by Islamic State terrorists.
The Prime Minister also yesterday voiced concerns that Indonesian-based terrorist outfit Jemaah Islamiah, which carried out the Bali bombings, was claiming it was aligned with the Islamic State movement, which indicated “the potential for increased terrorist activity in our region’’.
“I have little doubt that the ISIL movement are masters of propaganda; they’re masters of social media. They are probably the most effective terrorist movement the world has yet seen, and that’s why it’s very important that we redouble our vigilance and boost our efforts to ensure that our country is safe,’’ he said.
The government is concerned about the threat of homegrown terrorists who travel overseas and join jihadist groups. There are about 60 Australians fighting alongside groups linked to the Islamic State.
The government has seized on several shocking examples to promote the case for its suite of stronger counter-terrorism measures, including the disturbing image of the son of Australian Khaled Sharrouf holding the severed head of a slain soldier in northern Syria, and the beheading of Foley, which was shown in a grisly video this week.
“As for the apparent truth that the murderer was a British citizen, it just goes to show that while these events are taking place far from our shores, they can have ramifications right around the world,’’ Mr Abbott said. “This is not just something that happens elsewhere, it could happen in countries like Australia if we relax our vigilance against terrorism and potential terrorism here on our shores.’’
Read the full story at The Australian here.