Men arrested in Melbourne over army base suicide attack plot (1 Viewer)

[Rasengan2dabalz]

FOUR Australian citizens have been arrested and more are still being questioned over an alleged plot to launch a suicide shootout attack at an Australian Army base.
About 400 federal and state police executed 19 search warrants in several suburbs across Melbourne at 4.30am AEST. A 26-year-old man, two 25-year-old men and a 22-year-old man are expected to be charged with a range of terrorism-related offences and appear in court later today.

AFP Acting Commissioner Tony Negus said authorities would allege the men were "planning to carry out a suicide terror attack involving an armed assault with automatic weapons ... a sustained attack on military personnel until they themselves were killed".
"We've disrupted an alleged terror attack that could have claimed many lives."
Emily Howard, a young woman who lives near one of the raided homes, has said the operation was so quick she did not hear a thing. But she told Melbourne's Herald Sun that it was shocking to learn of what had happened.
http://www.google.com.au/ig/adde?moduleurl=news_au.xml&source=imag&source=ndta&bpig=1
“To think someone in your street could do something like that. It’s just horrible,” she said.
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has said today's raids show "the threat of terrorism is alive and well and this requires continued vigilance".
Plot details
The Australian newspaper reported the plot centred on the Holsworthy Army base in western Sydney.
The investigation of the group, dubbed Operation Neath, involved about 150 members of the Australian Federal Police, Victoria Police and ASIO. It was launched in late January after authorities intercepted a phone call from one suspect wanting help to fight in Somalia, according to The Australian.

The men arrested are Australian nationals of Somali and Lebanese background. Most are labourers employed in Melbourne's construction industry or taxi drivers. It has been reported that the alleged cell had about 18 members, with a hardcore centre.
It was not immediately clear when the alleged attack was planned to have taken place. Victoria Police chief commissioner Simon Overland said more details would emerge when the men faced court.
But authorities believe the group was at an advanced stage of planning the alleged attack, which was conceived as punishment for Australia's military involvement in Muslim countries.

Members of the group have been observed reportedly carrying out surveillance of Holsworthy Barracks and other suspicious activity around Defence bases in Victoria.

Electronic surveillance on the suspects is believed to have picked up discussions about ways to obtain weapons to carry out what would be the worst terror attack on Australian soil.
'Inspiration'

The alleged cell was inspired by the Somalia-based terrorist movement al-Shabaab, which is trying to overthrow the Somali government and replace it with an extreme brand of Islam. Two Melbourne men, both Somalis, have travelled to Somalia in recent months to obtain training with the extremist organisation, which is aligned with al-Qaeda, The Australian reported.

One of those men had already returned to Melbourne and is believed to have been among those arrested today. The other was still in Somalia.
Acting Commissioner Tony Negus said alleged members of the group had been seeking a fatwa to justify a terrorist attack in Australia.

It is understood that several members of the group wanted to travel to Somalia to fight with al-Shabaab, but when travel became difficult, they turned their attention to home.

Al-Shabaab is currently searching for jihadist recruits around the world, including in Australia. Authorities fear that Australian Muslims who travel to Somalia to fight for al-Shabaab could return to Australia as sleeper agents for future attacks in this country.

Men arrested in Melbourne over army base suicide attack plot | National News | News.com.au

Is it too early to say i told u so?

 

[Yasser Arafat]

 

[thisnameistaken]

Media presented some leaked information about this before it even happened, how stupid is that

 

[David Spade]

one of the worst terror plans i have ever heard of

omg i know, lets attack an army base with small arms cos its not like they will fight back or anything

like, why not a school or a train station or a hotel or something. An army base? Arent the commandos based out of holsworthy? And most of our tanks are there? Like what did they expect to kill like 2 or 3 blokes stationed at the entrance before everyone else got their act together?

We cant even get competant terrorists over here ffs

 

[banco55]

"The men arrested are Australian nationals of Somali and Lebanese background."

I'm shocked, shocked. This is reason numero uno as to why we should restrict any further muslim immigration into Australia.

 

[David Spade]

hahaha okay

 

[thisnameistaken]

"The men arrested are Australian nationals of Somali and Lebanese background."

I'm shocked, shocked. This is reason numero uno as to why we should restrict any further muslim immigration into Australia.

2, 3, 4, 5 ... n Muslim terrorists dosn't mean ALL Muslims are terrorists..,

 

[banco55]

2, 3, 4, 5 ... n Muslim terrorists dosn't mean ALL Muslims are terrorists..,

Did I say that? I will say that muslim immigrants (and their descendants) generate a expontentially greater number of terrorists than other immigrant groups. When was the last time you heard about Vietnamese or Korean terrorists planning to attack western targets?

 

[Garygaz]

Did I say that? I will say that muslim immigrants (and their descendants) generate a expontentially greater number of terrorists than other immigrant groups. When was the last time you heard about Vietnamese or Korean terrorists planning to attack western targets?

Harsh truth is harsh.

 

[Rasengan2dabalz]

Did I say that? I will say that muslim immigrants (and their descendants) generate a expontentially greater number of terrorists than other immigrant groups. When was the last time you heard about Vietnamese or Korean terrorists planning to attack western targets?

fucking +1

 

[Uncle]

the only terror threat asean will make is come far and high number one in maths class over everyone.

 

[johony]

i for one; would have liked to see this happen just to see them fail and to confirm our fears of a terrorist attack in australia.

 

[Amogh]

one of the worst terror plans i have ever heard of

omg i know, lets attack an army base with small arms cos its not like they will fight back or anything

like, why not a school or a train station or a hotel or something. An army base? Arent the commandos based out of holsworthy? And most of our tanks are there? Like what did they expect to kill like 2 or 3 blokes stationed at the entrance before everyone else got their act together?

We cant even get competant terrorists over here ffs

dude wtf?
your making that sound like a bad thing?
zomg go to iraq if you want 'competent' terrorism
with the equally 'competent' security forces

 

[Tangent]

This sounds stupid enough to be a ploy to ignite fear in the average austalian

 

[Riet]

dude wtf?
your making that sound like a bad thing?
zomg go to iraq if you want 'competent' terrorism
with the equally 'competent' security forces

2011 yet you're an expert onto the competency of security forces, okay kid.

 

[jb_nc]

2, 3, 4, 5 ... n Muslim terrorists dosn't mean ALL Muslims are terrorists..,

Hmm, let's think of it this way: it's hard to find a needle in a haystack, you can either look for it... or you go back to the primum movens and simply not allow the needle to fall into the haystack in the first place

 

[Tangent]

If someone really wanted to get into australia they could. So, say terrorists can get into Aust. by bypassing the law in some way or another, but people who genuinely want to get to australia to have a better life would be disallowed.

Silly

 

[banco55]

If someone really wanted to get into australia they could. So, say terrorists can get into Aust. by bypassing the law in some way or another, but people who genuinely want to get to australia to have a better life would be disallowed.

Silly

Do you leave you front door open because if someone really wanted to get in they could? It's about risk management.

 

[BBJames]

what a shit plot.

 

[SnowFox]

one of the worst terror plans i have ever heard of

omg i know, lets attack an army base with small arms cos its not like they will fight back or anything

like, why not a school or a train station or a hotel or something. An army base? Arent the commandos based out of holsworthy? And most of our tanks are there? Like what did they expect to kill like 2 or 3 blokes stationed at the entrance before everyone else got their act together?

We cant even get competant terrorists over here ffs

Blackhawks, artillery and our Spec. Forces for piloting, tank driving and ground forces.

IMO the single unarmed guard at the front was a lol though.