WA: Terrorist death not yet confirmed: Smith

AAP General News (Australia)
08-09-2009
WA: Terrorist death not yet confirmed: Smith

By Aleisha Preedy

PERTH, Aug 9 AAP - The Australian government won't be "leaping to any conclusions"

as it waits for confirmation that Southeast Asia's most wanted terrorist suspect has been
killed, Foreign Affairs Minister Stephen Smith says.

Noordin Mohammed Top is believed to be one of three men killed during a police raid
on a suspected militant hide-out in Indonesia on Saturday.

Mr Smith on Sunday said it would be only a matter "of hours or days, rather than days
or weeks" until Indonesian authorities could confirm if Noordin was alive.

"We know there has been at least one death and arrests have been made," Mr Smith told
reporters in Perth.

"As a general proposition, no country has been more successful than Indonesia in bringing
terrorists to account."

Noordin is believed to have been the mastermind behind the bombings at Jakarta's JW
Marriott and Ritz-Carlton hotels on July 17, where three Australians were killed.

He was also thought to have planned and orchestrated the bomb attack on the Australian
embassy in Jakarta in 2004 and the Bali bombings in 2005.

Mr Smith said the government's thoughts went out to the families of Indonesian terrorist
attack victims and assured he was in close contact with counterpart authorities.

He said Prime Minister Kevin Rudd planned to speak to Indonesian President Susilo Bambang
Yudhoyono late Sunday afternoon.

"One of the things we value very much about our close relationship with Indonesia is
the very close working relationship that our agencies, Australian Federal Police and other
counter-terrorism agencies have," Mr Smith said.

"Of course we are waiting for the Indonesian authorities to confirm one way or the
other whether the victim of one of the operations is Noordin Top.

Mr Smith said Noordin was a terrorist who Australians wanted to see brought to justice.

"But as the Indonesian police chief said late last night Australian time, the Indonesian
authorities are going through the process of confirming whether the victim of the police
operation is Noordin Top.

"In my experience that I have made clear in the past, one is always best not speculating,
but waiting until we are confident of the facts and proceedings on that basis.

"We won't be leaping to any conclusions."

AAP ap/bwl

KEYWORD: INDON SHOOTING SMITH

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