Concerns in wake of 17 terror arrests

In addition to a plea for fair trials, there are worries about Australia's image.
CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR
SYDNEY, Australia -- As 17 Muslim men were arrested in pre-dawn raids Tuesday in Australia's biggest anti-terror operation to date, leaders from within the Muslim community appealed for fair trials for the accused, and expressed hope for a break in the clouds cast over the community by recent terror warnings and government pressure.
"We merely ask that these suspects should receive the due process of law and be given the benefit of the doubt. Let the law decide if they are guilty or not," said Keysar Trad, the head of the Islamic Friendship Association, based in Sydney.
The arrests in the major cities of Sydney and Melbourne come at the end of 18 months of investigation by the authorities and just days after Prime Minister John Howard warned that his government had uncovered terror attack plans. After publicizing the threat last week, Howard urged Parliament to pass tough new anti-terror legislation that had been in the works.
Charges
The arrested were charged with offenses ranging from being members of a terrorist organization and conspiring to make explosives, allegedly similar to those used in the London bombings in July this year. One of the arrested, Abu Bakr -- known for his often inflammatory remarks showing support for Osama Bin Laden -- was also charged with directing the work of a terrorist organization. However, the name of this organization remains a mystery.
Some fear that these arrests may change the mood of a sunny Australia forever, especially if the authorities are right, and the suspects turn out to be home-grown terrorists rather than foreigners. Though Muslim leaders prefer to take a wait-and-see approach on this one, seasoned military analysts such as Hugh White, a professor of strategic studies at the Australian National University, are more dismissive of a gloom-and-doom scenario.