The image of the iconic Sydney Opera House in an Al-Qaeda magazine on terrorism and bomb-making has raised concerns about Australian links to the terror organisation.
The image was used to illustrate the introduction to a section on bomb making in the latest issue of Inspire, an English-language magazine published by associates of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.
Australia's intelligence agencies and police are treating the image with concern because of the possibility it might encourage 'lone wolves', people who commit terrorist acts without direct contact with terrorist groups.
"[Inspire] is trying to equip usually disgruntled young men with the skills they need to develop weapons of destruction: how to construct a bomb; how to use weapons," the Age quoted federal Attorney-General Robert McClelland, as saying.
The image also concerns Australian intelligence officials because of the role Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula plays, along with Yemen, in the global jihad, attracting Western-born Muslims who can be trained in the Middle East and then sent back to the West to undertake attacks. Worryingly, Australians are among that group of travellers.
It is known that several dozen Australians have travelled to Yemen, had contact with elements of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, and then returned back in recent years.
