Threat to missions in Cambodia
SYDNEY, Australia (CNN) -- Australia has beefed up security at its embassy in the southeast Asian nation of Cambodia after receiving a terror threat linked to Canberra's role in the war on Iraq.
Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer confirmed the threat Monday, saying steps to upgrade protection at the Phnom Penh mission were taken in April.
The threat was revealed in a report published Monday by national newspaper The Australian which said a group calling itself "Allah" had sent a letter outlining plans to attack the embassies of Australia, Canada, the United States and other Western nations.
The letter, which was sent to Canadian officials in Cambodia, said the attacks there would be the first of a wave strikes against Western facilities throughout the region.
"There was some information around on the security of embassies in April," Downer told the Australian Associated Press.
"But we have ensured that the security of our embassy has been upgraded over a period of time. We're satisfied with the efforts that have been made so far to strengthen the security at our embassies."
Australia has been upgrading security in its embassies after a suicide bombing outside its mission in Jakarta in September last year, which killed 10 people.
Last week Canberra issued a travel warning urging Australians to defer non-essential travel to Indonesia, including to the tourist island of Bali.
The advice was based on a warning by Jakarta Metropolitan Police which identified embassies, international schools, office buildings and shopping malls as potential targets.
A week earlier, the government warned of possible attacks on Australian buildings on in the newly independent nation of East Timor, formerly an Indonesian province.
Australia has been a strong supporter of the Bush administration and has contributed forces and equipment to the campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Australian sent 2,000 troops, along with ships and aircraft, to take part in the initial invasion of Iraq in 2003 and later reduced the number to about 950 after the ousting of Saddam Hussein.
In February, Howard announced that about 450 additional Australian soldiers would be sent to the south of the country to help protect Japanese engineers based there and to assist in training Iraqi soldiers. Those troops arrived in Iraq in April.
