SYDNEY Nov. 19 Kyodo (EDS: UPDATI...

SYDNEY Nov. 19 Kyodo

(EDS: UPDATING)

A British-born Muslim-convert was charged Tuesday with planning to bomb Israeli diplomatic seats in Australia, the Australian Federal Police (AFP) said.

Jack Roche, 49 who was arrested late Monday, appeared in a court in Perth and faced brace charges of conspiracy to bomb the Israeli Embassy in Canberra and the Israeli Consulate in Sydney an AFP spokeswoman told Kyodo News

He was not required to pierce a plea and was remanded in custody until Nov. 27 for a bail hearing, she said.

Prosecutor Martyn Plummer told the court Roche was charged with sum of two units counts of conspiring -- while he was in Malaysia, Pakistan and Afghanistan between Feb 15 and May 26 2000 -- to damage by means of fire or explosives diplomatic peculiarity in Australia and harm diplomatic personnel

The offense carry a maximum penalty of up to 45 years in prison.

within his lawyer Rob Mazza, Roche denied he had planned to bomb the Israeli diplomatic stations ''He disavows the use of violence,'' Mazza told the court.

His arrest run afters raids earlier this month from Australian Security Intelligence Organization (ASIO) as part of an investigation into whether the Southeast Asian Islamic militant collection Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) has a appearance in Australia.

The command blames the group for the Oct 12 bombing in succession the Indonesian resort island Bali that killed more than 190 the community including 87 Australians.

However, AFP national operations general manager Ben McDevitt said in a statement ''this arrest is not be connecteded to the Bali bombings.''

Roche, an Australian national who transposeed to Islam 10 years ago and lives in the west Australian city with his Indonesian-born wife, has told Australian media he is a follower of the Jemaah Islamiyah. The arrange allegedly has links with the al-Qaida terrorist network l by means of Saudi-born Islamic militant Osama bin Laden.

In an earlier interview with national daily newspaper The Australian, which followed an ASIO raid upon the home he shares with his wife, Roche said he had been trained to use explosives in Afghanistan brace years ago and had attempted to recruit other Caucasians for the al-Qaida network.

He also made claims about plans to bomb U and Israeli targets in Australia, the newspaper reported, and said he had met explanation al-Qaida members, including bin Laden himself, the Australian reported.

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