Al Qaeda Preparing to Attack Asian City

The French government's top terrorist investigator claims that Al Qaeda is preparing to attack an Asian city in order to cause economic harm and hurt investor confidence in the region. Japan in particular is a likely target, as are other large financial centers like Singapore and Sydney, says Jean-Louis Bruguiere. Some Asian countries have had little experience with Islamic terrorists, causing them to underestimate the risks of an attack, he says. "We are somewhat neglecting the capacity or desire of the Al Qaeda organization to destabilize the Southeast Asia region," Bruguiere warns, noting that one of Al Qaeda's key strategies is to hit economic and financial centers. Any attack on an Asian financial market, especially Japan, would shake investor confidence in the entire region, he says.