security expert says the Federal Government has effectively isolated the Somali militant group al-Shabaab from Australians by listing it as a terrorist organisation.The move came yesterday, just weeks after five Australian men with alleged links to the organisation were charged with planning to carry out a suicide attack on a military base in Sydney.A spokesman for al-Shabaab has since denied any Australian connection.
The listing means it will be an offence to train with, become a member of, or direct funds to the organisation.Clive Williams from the Australian National University says the listing came as no surprise."It'd been mentioned that the group hadn't been listed before because of the on-going investigation that led to the arrest in Melbourne, so I was expecting that it would happen relatively soon," he said. "We know that al-Shabaab is providing training to foreigners, which of course is a concern to the Government."Mr Williams says the Government is primarily concerned about al-Shabaab providing training to foreigners."They're facing a problem with second-generation immigrant Somalis going back to Somalia and getting training with al-Shabaab, either to fight with al-Shabaab, or their concern particularly is of those people coming back to their home countries and conducting terrorist attacks at home," he said.The Government had been under pressure to list the group, which has been regarded as a terrorist organisation by the United States since February last year.
The US National Counter-Terrorism Centre website says al-Shabaab is the militant wing of the Somalia Islamic Courts Council that took over most of southern Somalia in late 2006. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/08/22/2663481.htm
- ABC/AAP
Somali group Al-Shabaab placed on terror list
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,25961374-601,00.html
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