Australia Resident Proved to Be Linked to Chechnya-Based Radical Muslim Organisation

An Australian, who has been detained in Karachi, Pakistan, on suspicion of links to the Al-Qaeda terrorist network, has been proven to have links with an extremist Muslim organisation acting in Chechnya, according to the Pakistani police. The police are interrogating the detainee at the moment.

A taxi driver in Melbourne, Jack Terence Thomas, 29, Caucasian, was detained at Karachi airport on January 4 when trying to leave the country. After adopting Islam he changed his first name Jack for Jihad, which means holly war for Islam.

Thomas came to Pakistan in 2001 to study Islam and then went further on to Afghanistan, where he reportedly received training at a terrorist camp.

Jihad is not thus far facing any charges whatsoever. Police sources, however, link his arrest to the arrest of Iraqi and Jordani residents in the same city on January 9.

Jack Terence Thomas is the fourth resident of Australia suspected of links to the Osama bin Laden-led terrorist organisation. Two Australians are being kept at the US' Guantanamo base in Cuba, while the third is waiting to be tried for an attempt to blast Israeli representations in his native country.