Terror cells vying for first attack: Police

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA—

Two Islamic terrorist cells were competing to become the first to stage a major bombing in Australia, a prosecutor said yesterday after police arrested 17 suspects in a series of co- ordinated pre- dawn raids in two cities. About 500 police arrested nine men in the southern city of Melbourne and eight in Sydney, including one man critically injured in a gunfight with police.

Police said they expected more arrests in coming days and weeks. Federal police raided another Sydney home last night, but no arrests were reported. One of the suspects, Abdulla Merhi, wanted to carry out attacks to avenge the war in Iraq, police said in a Melbourne court. Australian Prime Minister John Howard was a strong supporter of the U. S.- led invasion of Iraq and has hundreds of troops in the country. Norm Hazzard, who heads the state’s counterterrorism police unit, said the suspects were followers of Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.

“ I think you can go back to Osama bin Laden and those who follow his philosophy — that is what terrorism in its modern form is all about and there’s no doubt that this group followed that same philosophy,” he said. The raids came less than a week after Howard strengthened counterterrorism laws after saying intelligence agencies had warned of a possible terrorist attack. He went on national TV to say the risk was not over, despite the arrests.