Season of terror starting: US expertBy Peter Mitchell in Los...

Season of terror starting: US expert
By Peter Mitchell in Los Angeles
September 10, 2004

AUSTRALIA and the rest of the world had entered a new "season of terror", an American expert on Islamic extremists warned today.

Edward Hotaling, author of Islam Without Illusions, told a US television news program the bombing of the Australian embassy in Indonesia was probably a preview to more terrorist attacks ahead of the Australian and Indonesian elections, the September 11 anniversary and the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
"It most likely is timed to all of those things. The elections in Australia are a month from now," Hotaling said in an interview broadcast on American TV news network CNN.

"It really reminds us we are entering a sort of season of terror now because we have the 9-11 anniversary coming up and we have the Indonesian elections coming up on the 21st of September and a month from now the Australian election and then Ramadan begins."

The US State Department today condemned the embassy bombing as a "deplorable act of violence and terror" and stood "ready to assist the governments of Indonesia and Australia in any way we can".

"We express our deep condolences to the victims and families of this horrible crime as well as to the peoples of Indonesia and Australia," US State Department spokesman, Richard Boucher, said.

The attack, as both countries prepared for democratic elections, "only strengthens our resolve to fight all forms of international terrorism".

"We recall that the Bali bombing of two years ago inflicted a terrible tragedy on innocent Indonesians and Australians," Boucher said.

"Since that time the governments of these two nations have taken – together and separately – a courageous, principled, and steadfast approach to combating the scourge of terrorism. We salute what they have done and no doubt will do to bring the perpetrators of this latest horrific act to justice."

AAP


This report appears on NEWS.com.au.