By John Andrews
in Auckland
New Zealand
detectives are investigating a group of Afghan refugees after
details of a nuclear reactor near the Australian city of Sydney
were allegedly found in their possession, raising fears of a possible
terrorist attack during the Olympic Games.
Detectives
in Auckland said yesterday that they had stumbled on the apparent
conspiracy during an investigation into the smuggling of people
by organised crime syndicates. House raids in March uncovered
evidence suggesting a conspiracy to attack the Lucas Heights reactor.
A room in one home was allegedly turned into a command centre,
with a conference table and maps.
They found
a Sydney street map highlighting the site of the reactor and access
routes, and notebooks outlining police tactics and chains of command
for the 1990 Commonwealth Games in Auckland.
Details have
been passed to the Australian authorities. However, no arrest
has been made since the raids in March, and Australian police
said last night they were unaware of the New Zealand investigation.
The plot might
have been hatched by Afghan sympathisers of Osama bin Laden, the
Saudi-born dissident being sheltered in Afghanistan by the Taliban.
Sources said members of what appears to be a cell of Afghan refugees
in Auckland continue to have direct phone links with suspected
terrorist organisations in Afghanistan.
Police say
the cell they uncovered consisted of about 20 mainly Afghan refugees
in Auckland who, they believe, may have been familiarising themselves
with the Western way of doing things. The detectives had begun
to suspect that some newcomers were using the relative obscurity
and remoteness of New Zealand as a launching pad for more sinister
activities. They found indications that some had undergone military
training and been engaged in armed conflicts before being granted
residency in New Zealand.
Such residency
is thought to be especially attractive as possible terrorists
are more likely to avoid suspicion when entering other countries
on New Zealand passports, an investigator said.
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