Machete Seized As Australia Plot 'Foiled'

[misskit]

Police avoid a potentially "catastrophic" terror attack by arresting two men and seizing a machete and a video during a raid.


Australian police say they have prevented an "imminent" terror attack linked to Islamic State (IS) after arresting two men in a Sydney suburb.

Police say a machete, a hunting knife and homemade IS flag were seized in Fairfield, as well as a video of a man talking about an attack.

New South Wales Deputy Police Commissioner Catherine Burn said the planned attack was "consistent with the messaging coming out of IS".

State premier Mike Baird said a potentially "catastrophic" incident had been avoided.

He said: "It was beyond disturbing, what was planned. Certainly, something catastrophic was avoided... and for that we should be very thankful."

Omar al-Kutabi (left) and Mohammad Kiad
Charged: Omar al-Kutabi (left) and Mohammad Kiad

When asked whether a beheading was planned, Ms Burns said police were unsure of the attack's nature, but added it was imminent and likely to have involved a knife.

"We believe that the men were potentially going to harm somebody, maybe even kill somebody, and potentially using one of the items that we identified and recovered yesterday, potentially a knife," she said.

The men, aged 24 and 25, would have carried out the attack on Tuesday if they had not been arrested that day, Ms Burn added.

"We built up information, we received further information which indicated an attack was imminent, and we acted," she explained.

Omar al Kutobi and Mohammad Kiad have been charged with undertaking acts in preparation or planning for a terrorist act, which carries a maximum punishment of life in prison.

They were refused bail during a brief court hearing on Wednesday. Neither man appeared in the courtroom.

Ms Burn said the men were not previously on their radar and she did not know whether the alleged target was the police, military or the general public.

However, she did confirm that one of those arrested features in the video that was seized.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott told Parliament the footage depicted one of the suspects kneeling in front of the IS flag with the knife and machete while making a statement in Arabic.

Police are trying to determine if the men were in contact with anyone associated with IS.

In December, a gunman claiming to represent IS took 18 people hostage in a 16-hour siege at a Sydney cafe.

The hostage situation ended in a hail of gunfire when police rushed the cafe.

The gunman, Man Haron Monis, and hostages Tori Johnson and Katrina Dawson died in the siege.

A number of raids have been carried out in Sydney and Melbourne since Australia raised its terror threat level to high for the first time in September, citing the likelihood of attacks by Australians radicalised in Iraq or Syria.

Australia, which backs US action against IS in Syria and Iraq, believes at least 70 citizens are fighting in the region, backed by 100 "facilitators" at home.

Machete Seized As Australia Plot 'Foiled'

[BaitongBoy]

Good onya, Oz...Saved the world...err...potentially....

[BaitongBoy]

Catastrophic...

[kingwilly]

easy enough to read between the not so subtle lines in that.

[pseudolus]

easy enough to read between the not so subtle lines in that.

Indeed - BE SCARED.

[ENT]

Nail em all....towel heads

[Chittychangchang]

Police are trying to determine if the men were in contact with anyone associated with IS.

They are not acting alone.

A similar case in the UK media this week.

New ISIS warfare tactics - grab yourself a big knife and hammer then go kill an infidel waving the ISIS flag.

Teen Who Idolized Rigby Killers Accused of Beheading Plot - Bloomberg Business

[Neverna]

State premier Mike Baird said ... "It was beyond disturbing, what was planned. Certainly, something catastrophic"

New South Wales Deputy Police Commissioner Catherine Burn said ... police were unsure of the attack's nature

Ms Burn said .... she did not know whether the alleged target was the police, military or the general public.

Disturbing perhaps, but "beyond" disturbing when you have no idea about the nature of the potential attack? That's stupid. Is it 'beyond' stupid?

[thaimeme]

Good onya, Oz...Saved the world...err...potentially....

They're my heroes....

[ENT]

^^ It's beyond stupid to ignore the potential.

[pseudolus]

So to be clear, they have been arrested for suspicions of Thought Crime.

[thaimeme]

So to be clear, they have been arrested for suspicions of Thought Crime.

Keeping the world safe for democracy and Anglo-American values...

[ENT]

^^ No, they were arrested because they were allawallas with weapons, an IS flag and a funny foreign language movie,.....deluded nutters needing custodial supervision.

[Bazzy]

They were not on any watch list, it sounds like the authorities acted on a tip off, perhaps from the shop owner where they purchased the knife. It is only a matter of time before one of these gets through the cracks.

[pseudolus]

shop owner where they purchased the knife

If that were true then that would be interesting. "Fuk heh muzzers buying a knife best call the law EH? But"

Cold Steel & Two Handed Machete Online in Australia

Its not illegal in Oz to buy a machete. Maybe it is only illegal for people with asian sounding names to buy them?

Wonder what the video was.

[koman]

So, let's see if we can get this right. When the police round up a few loons who show all the signs of serious intent to cause harm (perhaps kill) somebody, they are to be mocked and ridiculed because the loons have not actually managed to kill anyone yet.

If the police fail to round up said loons, then they, and the entire state apparatus that supports them are incompetent; after the loons carry out their intentions.....??

On the whinging scale we are becoming a serious contender for that other forum where every news bulletin is followed by 40 pages of whinging and monumentally stupid comments made by people who never move more that a few steps away from their keyboards. Brave and stalwart souls every one.....

[blue]

shop owner where they purchased the knife

If that were true then that would be interesting. "Fuk heh muzzers buying a knife best call the law EH? But"

Cold Steel & Two Handed Machete Online in Australia

Its not illegal in Oz to buy a machete. Maybe it is only illegal for people with asian sounding names to buy them?

Wonder what the video was.

It's heartbreaking them being treated bad and arrested like that
, further injustices need to be avoided .. how about just deporting all the 2nd and 3rd world trash from Australia?

[Bazzy]

^ I am certain that the shop owner doesn't call the terrorism hotline every time someone buys a knife.

Conspiracy to commit an act of terrorism is against the law in Oz, how is charging these guys an injustice? They have not been convicted yet.

[Ozcol]

I notice most of the posts poking shite at the Aus coppers for arresting these ragheads were from seppos I didn't notice anywhere in the OP where the cops had shot anyone like would have happened in the USA and then been covered up by some BS story, at least in Aus they have a chance in court to defend themselves.

[Neverna]

They were not on any watch list, it sounds like the authorities acted on a tip off, perhaps from the shop owner where they purchased the knife. It is only a matter of time before one of these gets through the cracks.

I wonder if they posted up their video on Youtube first and the authorities (CIA/FBI/NSA/GCHQ/MI-12AUS or whatever) saw it and acted.

[Neverna]

On the whinging scale we are becoming a serious contender for that other forum where every news bulletin is followed by 40 pages of whinging and monumentally stupid comments made by people who never move more that a few steps away from their keyboards. Brave and stalwart souls every one.....

So stop whinging.

[Necron99]

I notice most of the posts poking shite at the Aus coppers for arresting these ragheads were from seppos I didn't notice anywhere in the OP where the cops had shot anyone like would have happened in the USA and then been covered up by some BS story, at least in Aus they have a chance in court to defend themselves.

Or ship them off to indefinite detention in an offshore torture camp.

(we save that for the boat people)

[pseudolus]

Assuming we have no Abbo members here, is it not so that if these boys were born in Aus they are as australian as everyone else living there?

[Necron99]

Assuming we have no Abbo members here, is it not so that if these boys were born in Aus they are as australian as everyone else living there?

If you ask them, they would say they are Muslim....

[Bazzy]

wonder if they posted up their video on Youtube first

The press I read says that the video was found during the search.