800 officers launch largest anti-terror raids in Australia's history
Over 800 police officers took part in anti-terror raids early on Thursday in Sydney and Brisbane, the largest such operation ever undertaken in Australia
PUBLISHED : Thursday, 18 September, 2014, 9:30am
UPDATED : Thursday, 18 September, 2014, 9:33am
Reuters in Sydney
Australian Federal Police Acting Commissioner Andrew Colvin (right) leads NSW Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione nto a press conference in Sydney on Thursday after Australia's largest ever counter-terrorism raids detained 15 people. Photo: AFP
More than 800 heavily armed Australian police carried out sweeping anti-terror raids in Sydney and Brisbane early on Thursday to prevent unspecified acts of violence against random members of the public, police said.
Police said at least 15 people had been detained and one charged with a serious “terrorism-related” offence during the morning raids of homes and businesses, which they described as the largest in Australian history.
The raids came just days after Australia raised its national terror threat level to “high” for the first time, citing the likelihood of terrorist attacks by Australians radicalised in Iraq or Syria, despite stressing there was no knowledge of a specific threat.
“Police believe that this group that we have executed this operation on today had the intention and had started to carry out planning to commit violent acts here in Australia,” Australian Federal Police Acting Commissioner Andrew Colvin told reporters.
“Those violent acts particularly related to random acts against members of the public.”
Police said the raids were focused in western Sydney and the Queensland city of Brisbane. Around half of Australia’s population of roughly 500,000 Muslims lives in Sydney, with the majority in the western suburbs where the raids occurred.
New South Wales Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione said he had ordered an increased police presence onto the streets in the wake of the raids to prevent “troublemakers” taking advantage of heightened tensions.
Australia, which is due to host the Group of 20 Leaders Summit in Brisbane in mid-November, is concerned over the number of its citizens believed to be fighting overseas with Islamist militant groups.
Treasurer Joe Hockey insisted that the necessary precautions had been put in place for the G20 Leaders Summit, and dismissed concerns the raids could disrupt a meeting of the group’s finance ministers set for this weekend in the city of Cairns.
“Well, of course everyone needs to make sure that with an increased threat level associated with potential terrorist attacks in Australia, we have all the necessary precautions taken for both the G20 here in Cairns and also in Brisbane, but I am very confident that all bases are covered,” he said.
Up to 160 Australians have either been involved in the fighting in the Middle East or actively supporting it, officials said. At least 20 are believed to have returned to Australia and pose a national security risk, the head of the country’s spy agency said when raising the threat level last week.
Prime Minister Tony Abbott, highlighting the risk of homegrown militants returning from the Middle East, 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.
Australia had been at the “medium” alert level since a four-tier system was introduced in 2003. A “high” alert level is used when officials believe an attack is likely, while a “severe” level means they believe an attack is imminent or has occurred.
