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Overseas rugby fans told to watch out for terror strikes

Australian rugby fans overseas were warned yesterday to beware of potential terror attacks when gathering in bars and clubs across the globe to watch today's Rugby World Cup final between Australia and England.

Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said there was no doubt that terrorists were targeting Westerners, with bomb attacks on the British consulate and offices of London-based HSBC bank in Istanbul in Turkey on Thursday killing at least 27 people.

"Australians are urged to exercise particular caution when gathering in large numbers with other Australians or Western nationals to celebrate sporting or other events such as the Rugby World Cup final," the foreign ministry said in a statement.

Up to 90,000 people are expected to attend the final of the World Cup at Sydney's Olympic Stadium today but millions of others will gather at pubs or other public places around the world to watch the Wallabies take on favorites England.

Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has issued a blizzard of travel warnings since 88 Australians were among the 202 people killed in bomb attacks on nightclubs in the neighboring Indonesian island of Bali in October last year.

It has issued a list of six countries which Australians should avoid at all costs and advised Australians to defer non-essential travel to 12 countries, adding Turkey to this list yesterday.

Australia, a close US ally, has been named as a potential target by the radical Islamic al-Qaeda network which is blamed for the Sept. 11 plane attacks in the US.

Australia was one of the first countries to join the US-led war on terror, sending troops to Afghanistan to hunt down al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and punish his Taliban protectors and also deploying troops to the Iraq war this year.

The foreign ministry said the Bali bombings and more recent attacks in Istanbul, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Iraq and India underscored the continuing global threat posed by terrorism.

"Australians are urged to be alert to their personal security practices and to monitor developments that may affect their safety," it said in an updated travel advisory.

Australian Prime Minister John Howard said security at Australia's diplomatic missions around the world would automatically be reviewed following Thursday's truck bombings in Turkey.
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