Australia launches anti-terror raids over plot to kill

[third eye]

The rot is spreading...

BBC News - Australia launches anti-terror raids over plot to kill

Australian police have carried out major anti-terror raids triggered by a call from a senior Islamic State militant for "demonstration killings", Prime Minister Tony Abbott says.

The raids, involving at least 800 heavily-armed officers, took place in Brisbane and Sydney.

Fifteen people were arrested and one person has been charged with conspiracy to prepare a terrorist attack.

Police say the anti-terror operation was the largest in Australian history.

Reports in the Australian media said a plot involved beheading a random member of the public after draping them in an Islamic State flag.

Addressing a press conference, Mr Abbott said "direct exhortations were coming from an Australian who is apparently quite senior in ISIL (Islamic State) to networks of support back in Australia to conduct demonstration killings here in this country".

The news of an alleged plot to publicly behead a random Australian will shock many people here, including the vast majority of this country's long-established moderate Muslim community.

Many Muslims are unhappy with what's going on in Iraq and Syria but would never resort to violence. These raids risk antagonising the broader Islamic community.

But Australia, like many countries including Britain, is worried about the threat from Islamic State, not just abroad but at home. More than a decade on from Australia's support for the US-led war in Iraq, the country finds itself embroiled in a conflict that is far from over.

Tony Abbott this week announced he is sending 600 troops to the Middle East to assist in the fight against Islamic State. Security forces clearly face a battle at home too.

"So this is not just suspicion, this is intent and that's why the police and security agencies decided to act in the way they have."

'Random attacks'

The raids began early on Thursday, with officers executing 25 search warrants across 12 Sydney suburbs.

Police say that at least 15 people were arrested in the early morning raids

More than 800 heavily armed officers raided properties in Sydney and Brisbane

They followed investigations into a Sydney-based group "alleged to have the intent to carry out random attacks on individuals" in Australia, the Australia Federal Police said in a statement.

"The police activity today was about preventing this group at the earliest possible opportunity and ensuring their plans did not come to fruition," Acting AFP Commissioner Andrew Colvin said.

One of the arrested men, Omarjan Azari, 22, later appeared in a Sydney court charged with conspiracy to prepare for a terrorist attack.

Prosecutor Michael Allnutt said Mr Azari planned to commit "extremely serious" offences "clearly designed to shock, horrify and terrify'' the public.

Raids in Brisbane were not "directly linked" to the Sydney operation but related to a raid last week on an Islamic centre that led to two men being charged with terrorism offences, Mr Colvin said.

Last week, Australia raised its terror threat level to high amid concerns of the growing number of Australians "working with, connected to or inspired by" Islamist groups.

The arrests have been described as Australia's biggest anti-terrorism operation

Police and other law enforcement agencies cordon off a street as forensic experts collect evidence inside a house in the Guildford area of Sydney

Police in Sydney said that the arrests followed the execution of a number of search warrants across the city's north-west suburbs early on Wednesday

Police also carried out raids in Brisbane

Officials say dozens of Australians have gone to fight in the Middle East for jihadist groups such as Islamic State and Jabhat al-Nusra (also known as the al-Nusra Front).

At least 60 Australians are believed to be fighting with jihadist groups in Syria and northern Iraq, and 15 Australians have been killed so far in these conflicts, including two suicide bombers.

About 100 more Australians are thought to be actively supporting these groups, police say.

Officials are worried about the impact of both returning fighters and supporters of these groups on domestic security.

It is the first time Australia's threat level has moved from medium to high - the second-highest rank - since the system was introduced in 2003.

"Medium" means an attack could occur. "High" means an attack is likely and "extreme" means an attack is imminent or has occurred.

Australia has also recently committed troops to the fight against Islamic State.

Mr Abbott, who has been spending a week in an indigenous area in northern Australia, is heading back south to see off departing troops.

 

[Kompromat]

About time.

 

[third eye]

Terrorism raids: Isis 'urging followers to behead Australians', says PM

A senior member of Islamic State was urging a network in Australia to carry out public beheadings, the prime minister has said, as a suspect was charged after the largest counter terrorism raids in Australia’s history.

More than 800 police officers were involved in raids in Sydney’s north-west on Thursday morning with 15 people detained.

One man, Omarjan Azari, 22, appeared in Sydney central court on Thursday afternoon to face charges of preparing to commit a terrorist act.

The other 14 detained can be held for a fortnight without charge under Australia’s counter-terrorism laws.

The prosecution said he planned to “shock, horrify and potentially terrify” the public with public executions. He was refused bail because he a serious risk of failing to appear in court, in part due to his “unusual level of fanaticism”.

Defence have argued the case against Azari is based on one intercepted phone call, which the prosecution said was what triggered the operation.

When asked about reports that there were plans to conduct a public beheading in Australia, Tony Abbott replied: “That’s the intelligence we received.”

“The exhortations, quite direct 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 in this country.

“So this is not just suspicion, this is intent and that’s why the police and security agencies decided to act in the way they have,” he told reporters in Arnhem Land.

Abbott played down the possibility that Australia’s renewed involvement in Iraq would increase the chance of terror plots against Australian targets. He said Australia was targeted in Bali in 2002 before any involvement in the previous Iraq war.

“These people, I regret to say, do not hate us for what we do, they hate us for who we are and how we live. That’s what makes us a target, the fact that we are different from their view of what an ideal society should look like, the fact that we are free, we are pluralist, we are tolerant, we are welcoming, we are accepting,” he said.

“All of these, in their eyes, are wrong and that’s what makes us a target and that’s something that should never change about us. We should always be a free, fair, open and tolerant country.”

Abbott said he had not received warnings Australia was more likely to be the subject of a homegrown terrorist attack than other countries, but it was important security agencies were one step ahead of groups who wanted to do Australians harm.

Australian federal police Acting Commissioner Andrew Colvin said a violent attack had been planned for “the streets of New South Wales”.

There were reports the plan was to kidnap someone from the street and behead them while filming it.

The pre-dawn raids in Sydney were conducted at the same time as, but not directly related to, raids in Queensland with police saying the raids south of Brisbane were in relation to a counter-terrorism raid last weekwhere two people were arrested and charged. About 70 officers were involved in Thursday’s raids in Queensland.

The New South Wales police commissioner, Andrew Scipione, said there was no need to “whip” up the raids and that the operation reflected the strength and capability of Australia’s counter-terrorism forces.

“Our police will continue to work tirelessly to prevent any such attacks but certainly can I stress that right now, is a time for calm. We don’t need to whip this up.”

Police search at a house in Mount Gravatt, Brisbane, Thursday, Sep 18, 2014.

Police are executing search warrants in the Brisbane suburbs of Mount Gravatt East, Logan and Underwood and have confirmed the operation was linked to the counter-terrorism raids in Sydney. Photograph: Dave Hunt/AAP
He said it would become apparent through the courts what was going to happen.

Some of those arrested have had their passports cancelled because they were planning to travel to Syria or Iraq.

Twenty-five search warrants were executed in the Sydney raids which were in the suburbs of Beecroft, Bellavista, Guildford, Merrylands, Northmead, Wentworthville, Marsfield, Westmead, Castle Hill, Revesby, Bass Hill and Regents Park.

Colvin said the officers included investigators, forensic experts, tactical officers and surveillance officers.

“This is the largest operation of its type undertaken in Australia’s history,” he said.

“I think the message that we need to make clear here is that police are working very hard across this country and are very well coordinated and the community should have absolute confidence in the work of their law enforcement security agencies to work together.

“While the raids in Queensland are not directly related to what has happened here today in NSW, as I said before, the investigations continue and we are looking at the linkages between the two.”

Police would not say if the targets of the operation had any links to Islamic State.

NSW premier Mike Baird delivered warned would-be terrorists that there would be no escape from the authorities.

“We will hunt you down,” he said on Thursday. “If you have any intent to bring overseas conflicts here, if you have any intent to threaten the security of this community, we will hunt you down.”

The raids come after the terror alert level in Australia was raised from medium to high last week.

Police say the threat level was not raised because of the intelligence that led to Thursday’s raids. Colvin said it had been raised because of a range of factors.

When asked if the prime minister was aware of the alleged planned attacks, Colvin responded: “Clearly you would understand that all levels of government need to understand what the national security threat in this country is. We have regular and ongoing briefings with all levels of government including the prime minister on the generic aspects of the national counter-terrorism threat, the national security threat.”

He added: “I don’t think anyone would be surprised it’s in the interests that the PM and political leaders have an understanding of what is going on.”

Two men aged 31 and 21 were arrested in last week’s raids in Queensland in a joint operation involving about 180 federal police and Queensland police.

It is alleged the men were involved in recruiting, facilitating and funding people to travel to Syria to engage in hostile activities.

The 31-year-old, Omar Succarieh, was charged with providing funds to the terrorist organisation Jabhat al-Nusra.

Agim Kruezi, the 21-year-old, is accused of recruiting another person to become a member of Islamic State and obtaining funds in preparation for incursions into a foreign state.

The previous largest counter-terrorism operation in Australia was Operation Pendennis in 2005 when 13 men were arrested over planned bomb attacks in Sydney and Melbourne.

 

[xdrive]

The saddest thing is that Muslims in Australia are supporting these people and are pretending they are innocent and are pretending its all an invention.

 

[ranjeet]

The saddest thing is that Muslims in Australia are supporting these people and are pretending they are innocent and are pretending its all an invention.

It's not exclusive to Oz Muslims, same story all over the world.

 

[Sulman Badshah]

The saddest thing is that Muslims in Australia are supporting these people and are pretending they are innocent and are pretending its all an invention.

there are some Scums that are supporting ISIS and making thing worst for the rest of muslim ... However the majority of muslims are against the ISIS

 

[blood]

The saddest thing is that Muslims in Australia are supporting these people and are pretending they are innocent and are pretending its all an invention.

trust me , we face the same problem here , a major part of the muslim community are terrorist sympathizers and that's a fact .
but the moment you try to counter them they start acting innocent and behave as if they are being victimized .

Unlike india , australia atleast is a developed country , these people migrated from their homeland in search of better life , you guys accepted them and gave them shelter , but they hold no gratitude towards your country or your people and will continue to live in their hatred .