A video found in the hide-out of one of Asia’s most wanted militants shows a masked man believed to be the fugitive threatening attacks against the United States, Britain and Australia.
Police suspect the man in the video, who spoke with a Malaysian accent, could be Noordin Mohamad Top, considered a key leader of the al-Qaida-linked Southeast Asian terror group Jemaah Islamiyah.
“As long as you keep your troops in Iraq and Afghanistan and intimidate Muslim people, you will feel our intimidation and our terror,” the man said in the video, made public late Wednesday. “You will be the target of our next attack.”
Noordin has been accused of direct involvement in at least four deadly bombings in Indonesia, including the 2002 and 2005 suicide attacks on the resort island of Bali that together killed 222 people, many of them foreign tourists.
“Judging from his accent, we believe it was Noordin,” National police chief Gen. Sutanto said of the video speaker.
'Our enemy is America'
Police said the video was found along with several other recordings one week ago in a hideout in the central Java province that had been used by Noordin, who fled before officers arrived.
About the time of the hideout raid, anti-terror police also stormed the safehouse of Azahari bin Husin — Noordin’s right hand man — killing him.
“Our enemy is America, Australia, England and Italy,” the masked man said, pointing his finger at the camera.
Later he singled out Australian Prime Minister John Howard and Foreign Minister Alexander Downer.
“Especially you,” he said. “Remember that.”
