An Al-Qaeda-linked regional Islamic militant group might attack commercial shipping in Southeast Asian waters, officials told a conference on transport security Wednesday. The Malacca Straits west of Malaysia, the world’s busiest shipping lane where over a quarter of the world’s trade, half of its oil and LNG pass through daily, is a prime target, a U.S. official told a meeting of the 23-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations Regional Forum (ARF). “With terrorists now focused on soft targets, as demonstrated through attacks in Bali, Jakarta and Madrid, we have every reason to believe they will also be attracted to one of the softest targets of all, commercial shipping,” said William Pope, the State Department deputy coordinator for counter-terrorism. Full Story
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