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'Aussie' militant warns of more attacks

A balaclava-clad man with an apparent Australian accent has appeared on Arab television warning that more terrorist attacks will be launched on the West.

In a videotaped message aired on the Dubai-based Al-Arabiya satellite channel the masked man, speaking in what sounds like an Australian accent, attacked US President George W Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair over their countries' involvement in Iraq, the ABC reports.

The balaclava-clad man, wearing combat gear and holding an automatic rifle, boasted about a recent attack that killed United States troops in Afghanistan.

The video also featured blurred footage said to be of a rocket attack on a helicopter that killed 16 US soldiers in June.

The man, against a backdrop of trees, claimed a group of al-Qaeda fighters carried out the operation.

"The animals under Islam will not just let you kill our families in Palestine, Afghanistan, Kashmir and the Balkans, Indonesia, the Caucuses and elsewhere," the masked man said.

"It is time for us to be equals. As you kill us, you'll be killed. As you bomb us, you will be bombed."

Australian security agencies are expected to examine the video, and its authenticity has not been confirmed.

A US think tank says Australia faces a major security dilemma with its vast land mass, a small population and a growing Muslim community creating the potential for a terrorist support network.

In an analysis of Australia's terrorist outlook following the attacks in London, United States private sector intelligence group Stratford said Australian intelligence agencies were taking the threat seriously and had lifted their vigilance.

Stratford said Australia had long been a difficult venue for terrorists, mainly because of its small Muslim immigrant population and lack of a network of safe houses and logistic support, but that had changed with the arrival of significant number of Muslim immigrants since the 1980s.

"The growth of these communities has created the potential for a terrorist support network, Melbourne and Sydney have growing populations of poor immigrants in urban areas that could provide recruitment and support bases for terrorist operatives."

On July 21 - the same day as the failed London Underground bombings - NSW deputy police commissioner Andrew Scipione said it was just a matter of time before a terrorist attack occurred in Australia, Stratford said.

Since September 11, 2001, terrorists had targeted Australians abroad, at Bali in October 2002, the JW Marriott Hotel in Jakarta in October 2003 and the Australian Embassy in Jakarta in October 2004. As well, militants had been arrested in Australia, including Frenchman Willie Brigitte who was deported back to France in October 2003.

Stratford said Australia had so far not suffered a terrorist attack on its territory, largely because of the efforts of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO).

"It does face a serious vulnerability in that the country has vast, sparsely populated areas that are difficult to patrol - places where terrorist activities could go unnoticed, as more immigrants come into the country and jihadist reprisals against countries that participate in the US-led coalition in Iraq loom, Australia is taking the possibility of a terrorist attacks at home seriously."