As many as 40 Australians who have travelled to the terrorist hotspot Yemen and now live here represent potential threats to the nation's security, with some having direct contact with members of the terrorist group responsible for the weekend cargo bomb plot.
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The information comes from counter-terrorism sources, who have revealed there are about 20 to 40 people of concern to authorities living in Australia.
The revelation comes amid continuing fallout from the plot, with authorities in the US, Middle East and Britain unsure what the targets where. The new information follows continued warnings from the US of the heightened threat of attack in Europe by ''al-Qaeda and affiliated organisations''.
''[Agencies have] noticed an increase in Australians visiting Yemen; it's definitely something we've noticed over the last 12 to 18 months,'' one source said.
Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, or AQAP, is the Yemen-based arm of the global jihad formed around al-Qaeda and its chief, Osama bin Laden.
Its leader is Nasir al-Wuhayshi, also known as Abu Basir. Wuhayshi is a former aide to bin Laden. While AQAP previously only carried out attacks in the Arabian Peninsula, since Wuhayshi assumed power it has become more international in focus.
In August 2009 the brother of AQAP's only known bombmaker, Ibrahim Hassan al-Asiri, blew himself up while trying to kill a Saudi prince. Several months later a Nigerian man, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, failed to detonate explosives in his underwear while on a Detroit-bound plane. He is believed to have been radicalised while in Yemen.
The latest incident - two printer cartridges containing the plastic explosive PETN found on planes at airports in Dubai and Britain - has already caused both the US and Britain to tighten their postal security regimes.
Australia has increased screening of air cargo coming from Dubai, Doha and Abu Dhabi. The Transport Minister, Anthony Albanese, will meet British officials in London this week to discuss what implications the threat could have for aviation here.
The steady threat emanating from Yemen, and the increasing number of Australians travelling there, have led to ASIO increasing its focus on the country.
ASIO's recent report to Parliament states: ''A number of Australians have been drawn to extremist figures in Yemen, including via the internet.
''Australians resident in Yemen have also participated in terrorism-related activity.''
