Al Qaeda, the international terrorist organisation, is planning to attack a major financial hub in Asia to destabilise the region economically and trigger panic among investors, said a Financial Times report on Friday, quoting France's top terrorist investigator Jean-Louis Bruguière.
The newspaper listed Tokyo, Sydney or Singapore as the probable targets.
The Asian growth engine that has set up a blistering growth rate could come to a grinding halt if such an attack were to take place, the French top cop and judge said. The attack would erode investor confidence in Asia, dealing a debilitating blow to the region's economy and rendering many jobless.
An assault on an Asian financial centre, such as Tokyo or Sydney, would spell havoc for Asia's economic boom and would also be 'symbolically important for Al Qaeda' which is 'sharpening its strategy and looking to hit economic and financial centres,' the newspaper added.
According to Bruguière, most Asian countries are ill-prepared to face such an assault in comparison with the United States or Europe where security has been made almost airtight following the 9/11 terror attacks.
FT quoted Bruguière as saying that most nations are ignoring Al Qaeda's continued craving to destabilise the south-east Asia region. He also said that 'several elements of information' with investigating agencies point to a possible terror attack in Asia, especially in Japan.
The danger that most Asia countries face is the complacence triggered by the lack of their experience of Islamic terrorists, said the newspaper.
Bruguière, said FT, found his thoughts being echoed by many Japanese who believe security and intelligence agencies are not geared to meet such a threat. Even in Australia, said Bruguière, there was not enough public awareness about terrorist risks.
Recent intelligence reports indicate that the threat to Asia is very real and the French investigator wants to spread awareness in Asia about this, FT reported.
This lack of 'consciousness makes it extremely difficult for governments to pass laws that are pro-active and allow their law enforcement and intelligence services to pre-empt attacks,' FT said.