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August 30th, 2011 
FAKE NEWS for the Zionist agenda Updated
Anwar al-Awlaki is an American citizen at large in Yemen with links to Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.
Federal Attorney-General Robert McClelland has attacked WikiLeaks for publishing a US diplomatic cable that names 23 Australians as having alleged links to a radical Yemeni cleric.
The cable, dated January 2010, says the 23 Australians have a past or present association with cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, who has ties to Al Qaeda.
The US cable recommends that 11 Australians be placed on a no fly list and a further 12 be placed on a watch list.
Mr McClelland says the names should not have been published and could compromise Australia’s national security.
He says the Australian Government is on the record as saying the large scale distribution of hundreds of thousands of classified US government documents is “reckless, irresponsible and potentially dangerous”.
But he broke the Government’s long-standing position not to comment on material that has been published by WikiLeaks to condemn the release of the uncensored cable.
“On occasions in the past, WikiLeaks has decided to redact identifying features where security operations or safety could be put at risk. This has not occurred in this case,” Mr McClelland said in a statement released Monday.
“The publication of any information that could compromise Australia’s national security – or inhibit the ability of intelligence agencies to monitor potential threats – is incredibly irresponsible.
“The Government condemns the publication of any document that could seriously impact Australia’s national security.”
The Attorney-General says he has made a number of statements in the past, expressing concern about the growing terrorism threat emanating from Yemen.
“Yemen is becoming an increasingly important hub for Al Qaeda-associated terrorist activity, particularly as Al Qaeda encounters mounting pressure in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq,” Mr McClelland said.
Al-Awlaki, a Muslim cleric who is a US citizen but left the country in 2001 and joined Al Qaeda in Yemen, has been tied to plots against the United States over the past two years.
“A number of Australians have been drawn to extremist figures in Yemen, including to Anwar al-Awlaki,” Mr McClelland said.
“Australian authorities are working together with international partners to identify and mitigate threats, including by preventing Australians to travel overseas to undertake terrorism-related activity.”
Mr McClelland says it is practice not to comment on individuals who may or may not be of security concern or on matters of national security.
More revelations
Other newly released cables cover the events before Prime Minister Julia Gillard’s ousted her predecessor Kevin Rudd.
Labor insiders told US officials in December 2009 that Mr Rudd wielded almost total control offer a subservient Caucus.
“However, powerbrokers confide the factions will assert themselves when Rudd’s popularity wanes,” the cable says.
Six months later, after more chats with Labor powerbrokers, the embassy estimated, “At present, the question of a successor to Rudd is probably two elections away.”
It was closer to two weeks after that cable that Ms Gillard took over the leadership.
Her possible successor, Bill Shorten, is the subject of a third cable after he presented at the US consulate in Melbourne quoting Martin Luther King Junior.
“Shorten, who is somewhat rumpled in appearance, prefers to get down to business quickly in meetings,” the cable says.
“Shorten struck us as highly ambitious but willing to wait – at least for a while – for his moment in the sun.”
terrorism,
computers-and-technology,
information-and-communication,
federal-government,
australia,
yemen,
united-states
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