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Mac Harm
True Captain
Joined: 14 Oct 2003
Posts: 377
Location: Sailing the ocean blue... well its green actually.
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 Thu Sep 09, 2004 6:32 am Bomb attack on Australian High Commission in Malaysia |
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| Quote: | Bomb attack on Australian High Commission in Malaysia
March 30, 2004 - 7:15PM
A small bomb thrown at the Australian High Commission in Malaysia today caused no damage or injuries and was not linked to a terrorist attack, authorities said.
But security around foreign embassies in the capital, Kuala Lumpur, was tightened.
The device was thrown from a speeding car and exploded after hitting the front fence of the Australian diplomatic mission about 5am local time (7am AEST).
A senior Malaysian police official said the device was made of "firecracker material", and played down the possibility of a terrorist attack.
"There is nothing to suggest that this was the work of terrorists," the official said, describing it as "more an act of mischief".
No one has been arrested or admitted to carrying out the attack, the first on a foreign mission in Malaysia.
Police said the timing of the attack and the small scale of the explosive suggested the bomb was not calculated to cause loss of life or serious damage and they suspect a disgruntled visa applicant may have been responsible.
Forensic officers were examining fragments of the explosive as well as a videotape of the explosion recorded on security cameras.
Deputy High Commissioner Simon Merrifield declined to speculate on whether it was a terrorist incident or the expression of some personal grudge against Australia.
"The matter is being investigated by police and as far as we are aware there are no leads at the moment," he said.
He described the attack as "a minor incident involving a small improvised explosive device being thrown from a car".
"It was thrown at the front fence of the high commission. It exploded with a big bang but caused no damage to life or property," he said.
The attack was witnessed by police and private security personnel guarding the embassy and the bomb squad and fire brigade were quickly on the scene, he said.
Security at the embassy was already tight in the wake of terrorist attacks around the world and "we will maintain our high level of vigilance", he said.
The high commission remained open to the public throughout the day and it was "business as usual", he said.
A senior aide to Malaysia's Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said security patrols for the diplomatic community in Kuala Lumpur would be stepped up following the attack.
A spokeswoman for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in Canberra welcomed the prompt and appropriate response by Malaysian authorities and police.
Mainly-Muslim Malaysia has had no terrorist attacks against foreign targets on its own soil, but has detained more than 80 alleged Islamic militants in recent years, accusing them of membership in local and regional terror groups.
Some are said to belong to the Malaysian Militant Group, allegedly plotting the violent overthrow of the Government, and others to the Jemaah Islamiah organisation responsible for the Bali bombings in neighbouring Indonesia in October 2002.
The Bali attack killed 202 people, 88 of them Australian holidaymakers.
JI is linked to Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda network, which was behind the September 11 attacks in the United States and purported to have claimed responsibility for the Madrid bomb attack that claimed more than 190 lives.
The incident at the high commission comes two days after Australia announced plans to step up its war on terror.
Prime Minister John Howard announced on Sunday that the Government would expand its key intelligence agency and bolster anti-terrorism powers under new laws approved by the cabinet.
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What are your views?
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Pah-Wraith
Sheikh
Joined: 30 Nov 2001
Posts: 6012
Location: Londonistan.
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| Thu Sep 09, 2004 1:38 pm |
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Hmm, I'm actually quite shocked. Malaysia is probably (next to Turkey) the last Islamic Nation which I would've expected to see this happen in. Unlike in Indonesia, Wahabi groups like Jamaah Islamia don't have a very big following, because of the Government's successful crack downs on Islamic Militants. I have every confidence that his excellence, President Abdullah Ahmed Badawi will no doubt crush the JI faction in Malaysia.
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Mac Harm
True Captain
Joined: 14 Oct 2003
Posts: 377
Location: Sailing the ocean blue... well its green actually.
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| Thu Sep 09, 2004 11:54 pm |
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I argee that it is very unusual, that is why i posted it, I always understood Malaysia was more christian than anything else
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Pah-Wraith
Sheikh
Joined: 30 Nov 2001
Posts: 6012
Location: Londonistan.
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| Fri Sep 10, 2004 2:09 pm |
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Emm No, the dominant religion in Malaysia, Indonesia and the Southern Philippines is Islam.
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Captain Dappet
Forum Revolutionist
Joined: 06 Feb 2002
Posts: 16756
Location: On my supersonic rocket ship.
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| Fri Sep 10, 2004 2:27 pm |
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Hm...I wouldn't have expected this in Malaysia...This shows how active Terrorist organizations have become of late.
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