hkskyline
November 14th, 2005, 03:50 PM
Australia Brisbane To Shut Transport Network On Threats
13 November 2005
In light of the recent arrests in Sydney, do you think this was an over-reaction? Is it a good thing?
BRISBANE (AP)--Authorities in Brisbane ordered the city's bus and train services to halt for a half hour Monday following a series of phone threats, a senior lawmaker said.
The public transport network was to be halted between 4:45 p.m. and 5:15 p.m. local time, said Queensland state Premier Peter Beattie. It was not immediately clear why that time was chosen.
"We're being overcautious because we're not sure if they (the phone calls) are hoaxes or if they are real," Beattie said.
"In light of what happened last week in Sydney and Melbourne, I think Queenslanders would want us to be overcautious. We haven't made this decision lightly."
Last week, police arrested 18 terror suspects in Sydney and Melbourne and said they had foiled a plot for a catastrophic attack.
There were no arrests in Brisbane, a city of about 1.5 million about 800 kilometers north of Sydney.
Authorities did not say why they would halt public transport at those times, but police Commissioner Bob Atkinson said: "The calls have been specific, certainly in terms of the threat to the bus and train system, and the clear inference was in the Brisbane area."
Buses, trains and ferries also were stopped for 90 minutes earlier in the day following threats. There were no reports of any explosions or of explosives being found.
13 November 2005
In light of the recent arrests in Sydney, do you think this was an over-reaction? Is it a good thing?
BRISBANE (AP)--Authorities in Brisbane ordered the city's bus and train services to halt for a half hour Monday following a series of phone threats, a senior lawmaker said.
The public transport network was to be halted between 4:45 p.m. and 5:15 p.m. local time, said Queensland state Premier Peter Beattie. It was not immediately clear why that time was chosen.
"We're being overcautious because we're not sure if they (the phone calls) are hoaxes or if they are real," Beattie said.
"In light of what happened last week in Sydney and Melbourne, I think Queenslanders would want us to be overcautious. We haven't made this decision lightly."
Last week, police arrested 18 terror suspects in Sydney and Melbourne and said they had foiled a plot for a catastrophic attack.
There were no arrests in Brisbane, a city of about 1.5 million about 800 kilometers north of Sydney.
Authorities did not say why they would halt public transport at those times, but police Commissioner Bob Atkinson said: "The calls have been specific, certainly in terms of the threat to the bus and train system, and the clear inference was in the Brisbane area."
Buses, trains and ferries also were stopped for 90 minutes earlier in the day following threats. There were no reports of any explosions or of explosives being found.