LAKSAMANA.Net, September 13, 2004 09:39 PM
Aussies Backtrack on SMS Threat Claim
Laksamana.Net - The Australian government has retreated from its claim that
Indonesian police received a bomb threat against foreign embassies ahead of last
week's deadly explosion outside the Australian Embassy in Jakarta.
Indonesian authorities have consistently denied they received a threat via a cellular
telephone short message service (SMS) 45 minutes before last Thursday's (9/9/04)
blast that left nine people dead and 182 injured.
Australian Prime Minister John Howard and Foreign Minister Alexander Downer last
Friday claimed the SMS had said there would be an attack on Western embassies
unless radical Muslim Abu Bakar Baasyir, the alleged spiritual leader of regional
terrorism network Jemaah Islamiyah, was released from detention.
Jemaah Islamiyah has been blamed for a series of terror attacks in Indonesia,
including the October 2002 Bali nightclub bombings that killed 202 people and the
August 2003 bombing of Jakarta's JW Marriott Hotel that killed 12 people.
Baasyir is presently incarcerated while awaiting trial on terror charges in connection
with the Marriott bombing. He has consistently denied any wrongdoing, claiming he is
the victim of a US-led conspiracy to discredit Islam.
Australian Federal Police commissioner Mick Keelty on Monday admitted the SMS
warning may never have existed, as authorities had been unable to trace the
message.
He said an Australian businessman had contacted the Australian police contingent in
Jakarta, advising them of the possibility that an SMS had been received by local
police.
"Whilst we know who made the phone call to the Australian Federal Police, we
haven't traced the Indonesian police officer who allegedly received the message,"
Keelty was quoted as saying by the Australian Associated Press.
Asked whether there might not have been such a message, he replied: "That's right."
No Regrets
Howard said Monday he had no regrets over releasing details of the alleged SMS
before verifying its authenticity.
The prime minister said he could have been accused of a cover-up if he had not
disclosed the information. "No, it wasn't a lapse of judgment. It was one of those
situations where you're damned if you do and damned if you don't," he was quoted as
saying by Agence France-Presse.
"If the information had not been made available and subsequently came out, I would
be accused of sitting on it and accused of trying to hide something," he added.
Not Sure
Downer on Monday declined to say the whether the information concerning the SMS
was incorrect, as police were still investigating the alleged warning.
Asked by Sydney's 2GB Radio whether the SMS was not authentic, he replied: "Well,
I'm not really ultimately sure about that. That's really a matter for the police. What the
Australian Federal Police heard was that there had been this SMS message and the
prime minister and I had a discussion about this and thought, well, in the light of this
being information that might be relevant, we better come clean and make sure people
know about it, regardless of its authenticity – which we did."
He said the SMS was one of a "large number" of leads now being followed up by
Australian police. "I'm not sure frankly exactly where they're at, that's a matter for the
police."
Australian opposition leader Mark Latham, who will confront Howard in an October 9
federal election, said he was glad the government was now taking a more cautious
approach.
Baasyir Smear
Baasyir accused the Australian government of trying to tarnish his reputation and
exploiting the Jakarta bombing for political gain.
"The text message was purported to smear his reputation. Where did Alexander
Downer get this text message? When and what's the number?" Baasyir's lawyer
Adnan Wirawan was quoted as saying by AAP.
"We have to investigate this and discover who's lying and who's not," he added.
Meanwhile, National Police chief General Dai Bachtiar said officers were yet to find
anyone who supposedly received the alleged SMS.
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