A LOCAL Tory politician who lost his brother in the Bali bombing has called for Britain to shift its focus from Iraq onto the terrorist threat from al Qaeda.

Tobias Ellwood, who aims to become MP for Bournemouth East, fears there could soon be a major terrorist attack in the UK, and says more resources need to be pumped into security measures.

His call came after at least nine people died and more than 160 were injured when, it is believed, three suicide bombs exploded outside the Australian Embassy in Indonesia's capital, Jakarta.

The local police force's chief of detectives believes the blasts were caused by car bombs similar to that used to attack the Bali nightclub in 2002, which killed more than 200 people, including Mr Ellwood's brother Jonathan.

Both bombings, and the blast at the Marriott Hotel last year, all bore the hallmarks of the militant Islamic group Jemaah Islamiah, linked to al Qaeda.

Despite a string of court cases following the Bali outrage, Mr Ellwood believes the group is still very active.

"This bombing shows that this organisation is far from destroyed and they are still dangerous," he said. He added Britain and the rest of the world now needed to focus more on the threat posed by al Qaeda.

"Sadly, we are now seeing the true cost of the war with Iraq.

"By starting a war with Iraq we got distracted from the original mission: al-Qaeda.

"Iraq has been a huge drain on valuable recourses which could otherwise have been deployed to help countries like Indonesia eradicate terrorism.

"There was no link between al Qaeda and Saddam Hussein but war with Iraq has made al Qaeda all the more stronger and the world a more dangerous place."

With key dates such as the anniversary of the September 11 attacks imminent, he feared there could soon be a major terrorist outrage in the UK.

"We live in a very dangerous world. I agree with many of the police reports that state that it is only a matter of time before Britain is targeted.

"But Britain has been cutting back on the armed forces, security and police numbers and that is not the right direction to be taking."

First published: September 10