Police raids in Australia: Terror cell planned to behead random member of public

Court documents are expected to reveal that this morning's huge anti-terror raids were aimed at a cell which planned to behead a member of the public in Sydney.

The documents are expected to say that the plan involved snatching a random member of the public in Sydney, draping them in an Islamic State flag and beheading them on camera.

One person has been charged and 15 detained after the raids, which involved 800 police officers in Sydney and Brisbane.

AFP Acting Commissioner Andrew Colvin said 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".

Keep up to date with the latest developments on our live blog.

Live blog: Hundreds of police mount anti-terror raids in Sydney and Brisbane; cell planned to behead member of public - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

Quote:

---

'Serious act of violence' thwarted say police after counter-terrorism raids in Sydney and Brisbane
Date

Alleged terrorists planned 'beheadings'
Alleged terror cells in Sydney and Brisbane are "sending my blood cold" as they may have planned "beheadings and mass shootings".
Autoplay ONOFFVideo feedbackVideo settings
Live blog on the terror raids
Police say they have thwarted a "serious act of violence" after arresting 15 people and charging one in the wake of counter-terrorism raids across Sydney and Brisbane on Thursday.

Fairfax Media understands police will allege that the suspects were planning to snatch and behead a random member of the public, then drape them in the Islamic State flag.

Fifteen people have been arrested and one charged in counter-terrorism raids in Sydney and Brisbane.
Fifteen people have been arrested and one charged in counter-terrorism raids in Sydney and Brisbane. Photo: NSW Police Media


NSW Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione refused to confirm the exact nature of the charges the suspect was facing but said details would be made clear when the person faced court in Sydney later on Thursday.

"The violence was to be perpetrated on a member of the public on the streets and certainly at this stage was at a very high level," he told reporters in Sydney.

NSW Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione says the law enforcement officers have thwarted a planned terror attack.
NSW Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione says the law enforcement officers have thwarted a planned terror attack. Photo: Daniel Munoz
But Commissioner Scipione called for the public to remain "calm".

"We don't need to whip this up," he said. "All of those plans that may have been afoot have been thwarted.

"Today's operation reflects the reality of the threat we actually face."

Commissioner Scipione said it was "of serious concern" that there were people in the "heart of our community" planning attacks, but said "we have in fact disrupted that particular attack".

Eight hundred police raided properties and cars in the Sydney suburbs of Beecroft, Bellavista, Guildford, Merrylands, Northmead, Wentworthville, Marsfield, Westmead, Castle Hill, Revesby, Bass Hill and Regents Park in what authorities say is the largest counter-terrorism operation in Australia's history.

Police used 25 search warrants to carry out the raids, which were ongoing on Thursday, and said three people tried to resist arrest. A firearm was seized, but Commissioner Scipione said it was "too early" to assume that would be the only weapon gathered.

Seventy AFP officers were involved in raids in Brisbane but AFP acting assistant commissioner Andrew Colvin said they were not necessarily linked.

"So while the raids in Queensland are not directly related to what's happened here today in NSW, the investigations continue and we are looking at linkages between the two," Mr Colvin said.

But Mr Colvin said Thursday's raids were a "follow-up" to last week's arrests in Brisbane.

NSW police are launching a new operation, in which 200 police will be sent to areas where attacks may occur. "We won't be tolerating any misbehaviour on the streets," the NSW Police Commissioner warned.

Immigration Minister Scott Morrison said on Thursday that the scale of the operation "demonstrates the very real threat that's there, and the incredibly good work which is being done by the agencies".

He said the government was being strong in dealing with the threat both at home and abroad.

"I think this just demonstrates again that we are dealing with something that is very real here, the government knows that, we're responding accordingly," he said.

---

Read more: 'Serious act of violence' thwarted say police after counter-terrorism raids in Sydney and Brisbane

Quote:

---

Sydney Christian school targeted by death threats from car with flag 'similar to Islamic State's'
Date

A Christian school in Sydney's west has reported death threats aimed at Christians this week.

The principal of the Maronite College of the Holy Family in Harris Park told police that men made the threats from a car outside the school about 2pm on Tuesday.

Sister Margaret Ghosn said the threats were general and then directed towards a staff member of the school.

"They said, 'We are going to kill all of you here,' " Sister Margaret said.

"They were threatening to kill all Christians."

The car reportedly had a flag, similar to those brandished by Islamic State jihadists, hanging out the window.

Witnesses told police the small triangular flag had Arabic words similar to "there is only one god and Muhammad is the prophet".

The car is believed to be a red hatchback, police said.

Maronite College spokesman Joseph Wakim said the school community was shocked but he stressed the incident was an isolated one.

"People expect these situations to appear on their TV screens on the other side of the world," he said. "They don't expect them to be taking place where their children attend the school and they come to pray."

Mr Wakim said no students were around when the threats were made.

About 1200 boys and girls attend the Maronite College of the Holy Family, an Arabic language school formerly known as the Our Lady of Lebanon School.

Earlier reports of the threats referred to the Our Lady of Lebanon Church directly across the road from the school.

A priest from the church said the people in the car threatened to "kill the Christians" and slaughter their children.

"They were strong words and people were scared of what they saw," he said.

Maronite Catholic parish priest Monsignor Shora Maree contacted police before the church's 7pm Mass on Wednesday night.

Officers were sent to patrol the church while hundreds took part in the Mass inside.

Rosehill police Inspector Brian Jackson confirmed "some threats were made in regard to some people" near the church.

It is understood detectives are looking into who is behind the threats.

---

Read more: Sydney Christian school targeted by death threats from car with flag 'similar to Islamic State's'

Fucking kidding aren't they??


Snap protest held in Sydney’s west to ‘condemn’ government for ‘brutal’ raids




More than 100 people gathered at Lakemba train station in Sydney’s west tonight, angered at today's anti-terror raids.

The protesters carry signs reading "Stop terrorising Muslims" and "We won't stand by as Muslims are vilified".

They believe this morning's anti-terror operation that saw 15 people detained in north-western Sydney were not about targeting alleged terrorists, but about targeting Muslims.

The signs featured the logo of hardline organisation Hizb Ut-Tahrir.

"We've all seen what has taken place this morning," Hizb Ut-Tahrir speaker Uthman Badar told the crowd.

"We are not here tonight to determine who is guilty and who is innocent, they are processes for the relevant authorities, but we have great concern... about these processes being carried out properly.

"There are people out there who would like to convey this point, this propaganda that somehow Muslims are a threat to this country, and the Muslim community is a threat.


Read more at Snap protest held in Sydney

If they were genuinely interested in improving the perception of the muslim community rather than wallowing in eternal faux victim-hood then they would be working actively and visibly to get their own house in order rather than leaving it up to the evil white man.