Militants connected with radical group Islamic State were planning to behead a member of the public in Australia, Prime Minister Tony Abbott said yesterday after hundreds of police raided homes in a sweeping counter-terrorism operation.
Abbott said the risk was “serious” days after Australia raised its national terror threat level to “high” for the first time, citing fear of attacks by Australians radicalised in Iraq or Syria.
Australia is concerned over the number of its citizens believed to be fighting overseas with militant groups, including a suicide bomber who killed three people in Baghdad in July and two men shown on social media holding severed heads of Syrian soldiers.
More than 800 police were involved in the pre-dawn security operation in Sydney and Brisbane, the largest in Australian history, with 15 people arrested.
Media reported that the plans included snatching a person at random in Sydney, Australia’s largest city, and executing them on camera draped in the group’s black flag. “The exhortations were coming from an Australian who is apparently quite senior in Isil to networks of support back in Australia to conduct demonstration killings here,” Abbott said, referring to the Islamic State, which has seized large swaths of Syria and Iraq.
Sydney man Omarjan Azari, 22, appeared in court after the raids charged with conspiracy to commit a terrorist act. He remains in custody until a hearing in November. Prosecutor Michael Allnutt told the court an attack was being planned that “was clearly designed to shock and horrify, perhaps terrify” the community, the Sydney Morning Herald said. Azari’s lawyer, Steven Boland, did not apply for bail. He told the court the allegation was based on one phone call. Boland was not available for comment.
Police said the raids were focused in western Sydney and the Queensland capital Brisbane, where two men were arrested on terror-related charges last week.
About half of Australia’s population of roughly 500000 Muslims live in Sydney. But in western Sydney’s Lakemba neighbourhood, home to one of the country’s largest Muslim populations, there was little sign yesterday of increased security.
Several residents interviewed said they had not heard about the raids and expressed disbelief about the plot. Osama Farah, a university student, said the raids were part of the Australian media’s unfair portrayal of Muslims as fanatics. “There are idiots everywhere. Jews, Christians, Muslims, everywhere. To take this tiny portion of the population – it’s unfair.”
Samier Dandan, head of the Lebanese Muslim Association, one of the country’s most influential Muslim organisations, said the raids could inflame relations between the authorities and the community. “I hope they have solid facts, because if they don’t, this is going to be the basic platform from which the community engages with law enforcement.”
Treasurer Joe Hockey said the necessary precautions were in place for a G20 leaders summit Australia is to host in November, and dismissed concerns the raids could disrupt a meeting of G20 finance ministers this weekend in Cairns. Australia had been at “medium” alert since a four-tier system was introduced in 2003. At “high” officials believe an attack is likely, “severe” means it is imminent or has occurred.
Abbott, whose conservative Liberal-National coalition has struggled in the polls since winning elections last year, is pursuing an increasingly muscular foreign policy that has moved him closer to the US on crises like Iraq and Ukraine.
Voter support tanked after an unpopular budget in May, but his tough stance over the shooting of a Malaysia Airlines plane in Ukraine in July was popular.
Lakemba resident Yussuf Badreddine, 39, suspected the raids and terror threat level rise were aimed at distracting attention from welfare cuts in the budget. “If you see now, nobody talks about the budget. Nobody talks about the cuts to Medicare. They want to cover up what they’ve done? Terrorism.”
Abbott pledged on Sunday to send a 600-strong force as well as strike aircraft to join a US-led coalition fighting Islamic State militants in Iraq. — Reuters
15 held in beheading scare
Abbott said the risk was “serious” days after Australia raised its national terror threat level to “high” for the first time, citing fear of attacks by Australians radicalised in Iraq or Syria.
Australia is concerned over the number of its citizens believed to be fighting overseas with militant groups, including a suicide bomber who killed three people in Baghdad in July and two men shown on social media holding severed heads of Syrian soldiers.
More than 800 police were involved in the pre-dawn security operation in Sydney and Brisbane, the largest in Australian history, with 15 people arrested.
Media reported that the plans included snatching a person at random in Sydney, Australia’s largest city, and executing them on camera draped in the group’s black flag. “The exhortations were coming from an Australian who is apparently quite senior in Isil to networks of support back in Australia to conduct demonstration killings here,” Abbott said, referring to the Islamic State, which has seized large swaths of Syria and Iraq.
Sydney man Omarjan Azari, 22, appeared in court after the raids charged with conspiracy to commit a terrorist act. He remains in custody until a hearing in November. Prosecutor Michael Allnutt told the court an attack was being planned that “was clearly designed to shock and horrify, perhaps terrify” the community, the Sydney Morning Herald said. Azari’s lawyer, Steven Boland, did not apply for bail. He told the court the allegation was based on one phone call. Boland was not available for comment.
Police said the raids were focused in western Sydney and the Queensland capital Brisbane, where two men were arrested on terror-related charges last week.
About half of Australia’s population of roughly 500000 Muslims live in Sydney. But in western Sydney’s Lakemba neighbourhood, home to one of the country’s largest Muslim populations, there was little sign yesterday of increased security.
Several residents interviewed said they had not heard about the raids and expressed disbelief about the plot. Osama Farah, a university student, said the raids were part of the Australian media’s unfair portrayal of Muslims as fanatics. “There are idiots everywhere. Jews, Christians, Muslims, everywhere. To take this tiny portion of the population – it’s unfair.”
Samier Dandan, head of the Lebanese Muslim Association, one of the country’s most influential Muslim organisations, said the raids could inflame relations between the authorities and the community. “I hope they have solid facts, because if they don’t, this is going to be the basic platform from which the community engages with law enforcement.”
Treasurer Joe Hockey said the necessary precautions were in place for a G20 leaders summit Australia is to host in November, and dismissed concerns the raids could disrupt a meeting of G20 finance ministers this weekend in Cairns. Australia had been at “medium” alert since a four-tier system was introduced in 2003. At “high” officials believe an attack is likely, “severe” means it is imminent or has occurred.
Abbott, whose conservative Liberal-National coalition has struggled in the polls since winning elections last year, is pursuing an increasingly muscular foreign policy that has moved him closer to the US on crises like Iraq and Ukraine.
Voter support tanked after an unpopular budget in May, but his tough stance over the shooting of a Malaysia Airlines plane in Ukraine in July was popular.
Lakemba resident Yussuf Badreddine, 39, suspected the raids and terror threat level rise were aimed at distracting attention from welfare cuts in the budget. “If you see now, nobody talks about the budget. Nobody talks about the cuts to Medicare. They want to cover up what they’ve done? Terrorism.”
Abbott pledged on Sunday to send a 600-strong force as well as strike aircraft to join a US-led coalition fighting Islamic State militants in Iraq. — Reuters
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