"Did we try and get anybody to assassinate the prime minister of the Solomon Islands? Of course not," Howard said.
"It is preposterous to suggest that the Australian government had any involvement in this alleged assassination attempt," read a statement from his office.
"We would expect that these allegations would be rigorously and fairly examined, that innuendo would be dismissed and the facts would be established."
From news.com.au (excerpts) :An accused assassin hiding in the jungle in the Solomon Islands is allegedly involved in a plot with an Australian war veteran to murder the nation's Prime Minister.
Police today said they were hunting for former Solomons police sergeant Edmund Sae in relation to an alleged conspiracy to kill Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare.
They believe Mr Sae – an alleged double murderer – plotted with Australian Vietnam war veteran Bill Johnson to kill Sogavare last month.
Mr Sae has been on the run since escaping from a Solomons jail, before he could be tried for the February 2003 assassination of former police commissioner Frederick Soaki. He is also accused of murdering a second police officer following his escape.
Mr Sae has remained in hiding in the jungles of Malaita island, where Mr Johnson has his home.
Police allege that in early 2003, Mr Sae donned a mask and walked up to commissioner Soaki at a restaurant in the Malaitan capital, Auki, and shot him in the head at point blank range.
Police have claimed Mr Johnson conspired with four others, including Mr Sae, to assassinate Mr Sogavare some time between January 18 and 23.
It's alleged the plot was hatched during a drinking session at a Honiara motel, but it is unlikely the fugitive Mr Sae, if he was involved, would have dared enter the Solomons capital.
Mr Johnson, 61, is the only one of the group located and charged so far, but Honiara residents who know him have scoffed at suggestions he was involved in a murder conspiracy.
They say he is a "harmless drunk" who is nicknamed the Mad Major and is known for his binge drinking sessions when he visits Honiara from his island home.
"He gets on monumental benders that last for days and his mouth just runs away with him," said Honiara businessman Alastair Martin, a New Zealander, yesterday.
"It's pathetic that someone has taken his ramblings seriously."
Mr Johnson allegedly thought the senior officer was an opponent of Mr Sogavare and would be able to ensure armed killers could pass through the checkpoints set up around the parliament and offices of the Prime Minister.
The plotters are alleged to have planned their conspiracy in the mountains of Malaita, a hotbed of past ethnic violence. The police inspector is understood to have informed Mr Sogavare's office and an investigation launched."
"The man is alleged to have made statements to police that he, in company with other people not named in court, had made plans to assassinate the Prime Minister between the 18th and 23rd of this month..."The magistrate refused Johnson's bail request, believing the chargers were serious enough that Johnson might try to leave the Solomon Islands to avoid prosecution.
Locally, the move to rearm police has angered community leaders and community groups including the National Council of Women.
They have urged Prime Minister Sogavare to reconsider his decision for fear the guns could end up in the wrong hands.
Mr. Sogavare said the decision to rearm police was taken after he had consulted “a number of senior citizens” who he said had wholeheartedly supported the move.
However, many in the community fear that while rearming police was easy, disarming members of the public in the event the arms ended up in their hands, would be difficult, if not impossible.
In general, the government has dismissed these fears, claiming rearming the police is to protect Solomon Islands’ sovereignty.