Less than a week after Prime Minister Tony Abbott announced that Australia’s terror threat level had been elevated from medium to high, what’s being reported as the largest anti-terrorism raid of its type conducted in Australia’s history is currently taking place across suburbs in Sydney and Brisbane this morning as part of a joint counter-terrorism operation involving 800 of NSW Police, ASIO and the Australian Federal Police officers. Good morning!
Per the NSW Police Force’s media desk, at least fifteen arrests have been made after 25 search warrants were executed concurrently in homes across twelve of Sydney’s north-west suburbs including Beecroft, Bellavista, Guildford, Merrylands, Northmead, Wentworthville, Marsfield, Westmead, Castle Hill, Revesby, Bass Hill and Regents Park. Similar warrants were also executed in Brisbane, most notably in Underwood, where last week police conducted a raid on an Islamic bookstore and arrested two men, allegedly for their involvement in recruiting and facilitating the movement of people to Syria to engage in “hostile activities”. One man has been charged with serious terrorism-related offences; another has been hospitalised. Police have seized at least one weapon and are not willing to comment further.
The operational activity is described as being ongoing for now and police have promised more updates will be provided in due course. Early reports indicate that those arrested are suspected of planning an attack in the form of a random mass shooting or beheading on members of the public. A court hearing later today will reveal further details.
