Australian terrorist raids

A terrorist raid heaven-sent to Tony Abbott and his government

Federal police take over Parliament House security after reported threat

Tony Abbott says security services are aware of ‘chatter’ on networks about targeting government people

the Guardian,

18 September, 2014

The Australian Federal Police have been put back in charge of security at Parliament House in Canberra, amid reports of a planned terrorist attack.

“There has been chatter among these networks,” about targeting government people, Tony Abbott told Channel Nine’s Today program on Friday.

“One of the first consequences of the review of security has been moves to put Australian Federal Police back in charge of internal as well as external security,” he said.

“It is happening almost immediately.”

Parliament House had been “specifically mentioned”, Abbott told ABC radio.

Armed AFP officers have been redeployed to Parliament House, and more would join them in coming days.

Asked if people visiting parliament would be safe, Abbott said: “it is a safe country but we have to be aware there are people ... who would do us harm.”

Senior intelligence sources confirmed to News Corp Australia that spy, police and counter-terrorism agencies had intercepted information regarding a possible attack on Parliament House, and there were concerns the prime minister and other senior officials could be targeted.

The news report said there were fears the building had been “scoped out” for a “Mumbai-style” attack using automatic weapons.

Airport level security checks for visitors and barriers are also being considered.

In the wake of Thursday’s counter-terrorism raids in Sydney and Brisbane, the Grand Mufti of Australia, Dr Ibrahim Abu Mohammad, and leaders of a number of Muslim organisations called for calm.

They released a statement to “reassure all Australians that they have nothing to fear from their Muslim neighbours who want peace and security for everyone regardless of religion”.

“We have a vested interest in the safety and security of Australia,” Mohammad said.

The statement said those arrested and charged in Thursday’s raids must be afforded the presumption of innocence so the judicial process could take its course without prejudice.

The leaders noted a dramatic increase of abuse and discrimination against Muslim Australians in recent weeks, and revealed a Facebook page had been set up in response.

The grand mufti said politicians and the media must not use the raids to inflame hatred of certain segments of the community.

“The focus of attention should be on the alleged criminality of those involved and not on rhetoric which serves only to promote disharmony,” Mohammad said.

“Fair-minded Australians should not allow bigots and media shock jocks to undermine the cohesion within society.”

Asked on ABC radio whether Australian Muslims were feeling isolated by the scale of the raids, Abbott said: “I certainly don’t want to isolate any community. I want to wrap up the extended family of the Australian community in an embrace. We would all be the victims of any terrorist attack in Australia.”

He said he was very encouraged that the “overwhelming majority” of Muslims were enthusiastic about Australia and had “no truck whatever with the bloodthirsty extremists we see on our screens”.

Terror raids: Attack feared within days, Tony Abbott says

SMH,

19 September, 2014

All that is needed for an Islamic State attack to occur in Australia is a "determined individual, a knife, an iPhone and a victim", Prime Minister Tony Abbott said on Friday, adding that it was feared the alleged terrorist plot foiled in Sydney would have been carried out "within days".

But he called for calm and said the best way for Australians to react to the raids was for people to continue living normally because "terrorism is about scaring people out of their ordinary daily way of life"

An Australian, believed to be Mohammad Baryalei, a senior figure in Islamic State (also known as ISIL) in Syria, has been sending "strong orders" to his "small networks" in Australia to carry out "demonstration executions", Mr Abbott said.

Authorities say one of those orders was issued earlier this week

"The regrettable reality is that, to mount the kind of attacks which ISIL in Syria and in Iraq has in mind for Australia, all you need is a determined individual who will kill without compunction, a knife an iPhone and a victim so it is difficult to entirely protect our community from this kind of act," Mr Abbott told the Seven Network.

Mr Abbott is in Sydney to receive briefings on the operation after farewelling troops bound for Iraq with Opposition Leader Bill Shorten on Thursday.

Mr Abbott has cut short his visit to Arnhem Land to farewell troops leaving for Iraq and received briefings from the intelligence agencies in Sydney overnight.

A meeting of cabinet's National Security Committee has been convened in Sydney.

Mr Abbott has praised the authorities for their largest counter-terrorism operation ever, involving 800 officers, and said Australians should be reassured by the agencies' ability to detect and respond to threats.

"The whole country, I regret to say, is at risk but I'm confident in the professionalism in our police and security forces," he told the Nine Network

Channelling George W Bush

“These people hate us,not for what we do, but for what we are”

---Tony Abott

Robert Spencer on the Australian counter terrorism raids

Sun News

Top terrorist recruiter Mohammad Baryalei is behind an Islamic State plot to murder Australians on video, police say, sparking the nation's biggest ever counter-terrorism raids and prompting warnings of a high alert for a further 18 months.

NSW and federal police as well as ASIO officers raided homes across Sydney and Brisbane on Thursday morning, arresting 15 men, some of them as young as 17 or 18.

They swooped amid fears for the public's safety after Baryalei allegedly spoke by phone with Omarjan Azari on Tuesday to discuss a plan to kidnap and murder – presumably by beheading – a random person on camera, the footage of which would then be posted online by the Islamic State's sophisticated and powerful propaganda wing.

It is understood that without any specified time or place for any attack, police were concerned they might not be able to stop the plot. They therefore chose to move quickly and make the arrests.

NSW Premier Mike Baird delivered a fierce warning to anyone "intent on bringing overseas conflicts to Australia".

"We will hunt you down," Mr Baird said. " If you have any intent to threaten the security of this community ... those that think they may be operating in a dark corner, we are shining the light upon you.

"You may well be listened to as we speak."

The plot revolved around a plan to kidnap a bystander off the streets of Sydney and kill them on video. While beheading was not specifically mentioned in the alleged phone call on Tuesday – one of several believed to have taken place between Baryalei and Azari – it is assumed that this would have been the method of the killing.

Azari, 22, was charged on Thursday with conspiracy to prepare for a terrorist attack. He is the only man arrested who has been charged so far.

He is believed to have moved to Sydney from Afghanistan with his family a decade ago. He attended nearby Parramatta High and was believed to be an apprentice mechanic, who came to the attention of intelligence officers six months ago.

Australian Federal Police assistant commissioner Neil Gaughan told Fairfax Media that the terrorism alert level would have to stay on "high" despite the arrests – perhaps for a further 18 months.

"There is no doubt in my view the terror alert needs to stay high for the foreseeable future. We have seen an unprecedented increase in activity over the last 12 months," he said.

"And it's based on a lot of factors – ISIL, the declaration of the caliphate, an intent by people to do things in support of that, people continuing to recruit … We are in totally uncharted waters. I do not see any respite in the next 18 months."