CANBERRA, Aug 4 (Reuters) – Australia is investigating reports that suicide bombers are planning to target Jewish interests in countries that support Israel, a minister said on Friday.
The Australian newspaper earlier said the Jakarta-based Asian Muslim Youth Movement (AMYM) had spoken about plans by 200 suicide bombers to target countries that support Israel, such as Britain and the United States and possibly Australia. Human Services Minister Joe Hockey said the government was taking the reports seriously,. “The minister for foreign affairs and the Department of Foreign Affairs are investigating what is reported in the papers today and we are treating it very, very seriously,” Hockey told Australian television. The Australian said AMYM leader Suaib Bidu would be closely monitoring Australia’s reaction towards Israel’s current military action against Hizbollah in southern Lebanon. The paper said 3,000 jihadis would attend a “passing out” ceremony in the Indonesian city of Pontianak on Kalimantan on Saturday. Australia is a staunch ally of the United States, with troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. While it has been targeted in attacks in Indonesia, Australia has never suffered a major peacetime attack on home soil. But Australia and Indonesia have strengthened cooperation on counter-terrorism following the 2002 nightclub bombings on the Indonesian resort island of Bali, which killed 202 people, including 88 Australian tourists.