Prime Minister Tony Abbott said intelligence indicated people in Australia were allegedly planning a public beheading to be carried out in the name of militant group Islamic State. Credit:Colin Hamilton Police allege the suspects were planning to snatch and behead a random member of the public, then drape them in the flag of Islamic State. Mr Abbott said that a senior member of Islamic State, who is an Australian, had urged supporters at home to carry out "demonstration killings" in Australia,. One of the men arrested, Omarjan Azari, 22, has appeared in court on a charge of conspiracy to commit a terrorist act.

Prosecutors allege that he was part of a plan to commit an act to "shock, horrify and terrify" the community. Police have taken part in anti-terrorism raids across western Sydney. Credit:NSW Police Media Unit In Sydney, officers raided properties in Beecroft, Bellavista, Guildford, Merrylands, Northmead, Wentworthville, Marsfield, Westmead, Castle Hill, Revesby, Bass Hill and Regents Park. Security on military bases in Australia could be stepped up in the coming days. Police at the scene of one of the raids in Guildford. Credit:Nick Moir

Police said investigations into the group targeted in Thursday's raids began earlier this year. AFP acting Commissioner Andrew Colvin said one person had been charged with serious terrorism offences and 14 others detained. A number of houses across Sydney have been raided. Credit:Nick Moir Mr Colvin said police acted after there was intelligence to suggest a violent attack was going to be carried out on random members of the public. NSW Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione has called for calm and said this investigation did not lead to last Friday's increase of the terrorism level.

A woman talks to police at a house in Guildford. Credit:Nick Moir Mr Scipione would not comment on whether those arrested and charged had links to Islamic State, saying all the information would become clear when the accused appeared before court. "That allegation will relate to serious violence on a random member of the public here on the streets of NSW," Mr Scipione said. Raids have been carried out across western Sydney. Credit:Nick Moir He said police acted on Thursday because they believed it was "the most appropriate time", given the intelligence officers had.

"The decision was made by the experts to act now." Police raid a Wentworthville unit. Credit:Emma Partridge One weapon had also been seized during the raids which were expected to continue throughout Thursday. As news broke of the mass counter-terrorism operations, Liberal Senator Cory Bernardi took to Twitter to rail against the burqa as a "shroud of oppression". The Marsfield house that was raided. Credit:Louise Hall

Senator Bernardi has been a long-time critic of the burqa, arguing that it is a "symbol of female oppression and Islamic culture", carries security and identification risks and is "un-Australian". Labor leader Bill Shorten on Thursday criticised Senator Bernardi's remarks, telling Fairfax Media that the last thing the country needed was "stupid" and "ignorant" comments from government MPs. Police take away a sword from Booth Street in Marsfield. Credit:Peter Rae Search warrants in Brisbane Three search warrants were also carried out in Brisbane - in Upper Mount Gravatt East, Logan, and Underwood.

This morning's raids occurred hours before a Brisbane man, charged with terrorism-related offences, faced the Brisbane Supreme Court to apply for bail. Omar Succarieh, 31, was charged last week after federal police raided his Islamic bookstore in Logan, south of Brisbane. Mr Succarieh has been charged with providing financial assistance to terrorist group Jabhat al-Nusra, which is linked to al-Qaeda. He was also charged with planning to enter Syria to "engage in hostile activities". It is not clear whether today's raids are linked to Mr Succarieh. Wentworthville unit raided

About two dozen police raided a Wentworthville unit as part of the raids at dawn. Public order and riot squad police continue to guard the front of the block in Lane Street. Police have been seen searching bushes and the driveway of the block and it is understood several are still inside the unit as they collect more evidence. Residents continue to watch from their balconies, as police remain tight-lipped about the operation. One policeman at the scene said arrests were made earlier in the morning.

"We are just searching now," he said. Marsfield searches Detectives from both NSW Police and the Australian Federal Police are searching a house in Booth Street, Marsfield, in Sydney's north-west. A neighbour said a mother and her son had lived in the house for years. The son would be in his early 20s, Irene, who did not want her last name published said.

She said the mother was a "lovely woman". "I feel sorry for her," Irene said. The street was awoken by dozens of officers and the Dog Squad about 4.30am on Thursday. Raids were also carried out at Bridge Road, Westmead, in Sydney's west Digging up front yard

Police have begun to dig up the front yard of a Guildford home that was targeted during the raids. More than a dozen officers have spent the morning searching the Lane Street home and an adjoining garage. The residents of the home are still believed to be inside. Guildford resident Mark Anderson had just got up for work at 4.30am when he saw a helicopter circling the area and shining a light on Bursill Street. He also heard police on a loudspeaker yelling at someone to get outside the home.

"I heard them calling out to him to 'come out' for about 10 to 15 minutes. "I don't know if he was too agreeable. I didn't really understand a name. It was pretty intense," Mr Anderson said. "It was a pretty big deal at our place. Early last night a helicopter hovered over here for a bit as well, then this morning it all kicked off." Mr Anderson said he tried to drive to work just before 5am but found himself in the middle of the police cordon. "I pulled out of my driveway and turned to go to the bowling club, and a black armoured truck was there," he said.

"I realised I was a bit inside the cordon. A cop car was blocking Railway Terrace into Bursill Street, they had blocked off right to the roundabout. The helicopter was shining a light on a house near the bowling club." Despite the raids being so close to his home, Mr Anderson said he was not concerned for his safety. "I'm confident the cops know what they're doing. I'd be surprised if I knew something before they did," he said. A resident said the occupants moved into the Guildford house only three weeks ago but she often heard them talking loudly in the backyard at night. "Just a lot of moving around and talking. Especially night time and I have to always shut my blinds."

She said she woke up early on Thursday to the sound of helicopters hovering over her bedroom. "It's a bit scary… I'm shaking," she said. "I've been living here for seven years and never ever seen anything like this." Several residents remained in the house at 9am as police continued to search the red brick home and a garage next door. Police cars have partially blocked off Bursill Street as they continue to scour the property which is opposite the Guildford Bowling and Recreation Club.

Bass Hill resident Chris said he was woken by a helicopter hovering over his home at 4am. He went outside to find up to 40 police officers in his street. "I went out to be a stickybeak, as you do, and I was told quite promptly: 'Go, go back inside, do not come out,' " he told Triple M. "Looking around, they had blocked off the road. It was only six doors down. It was pretty surreal." G20 planning 'not affected' Queensland Police Commissioner Ian Stewart told the media: "Obviously those raids are linked to unfolding events in Sydney and a very large contingent of police are doing raids down there this morning and targeting counter-terrorism activities.

"Every jurisdiction in Australia has been involved in the ongoing situation that's confronting us and certainly we're not being complacent." Commissioner Stewart said this morning's raids had not affected planning for the G20. "We always had planned for contingencies around surge capacities. At this stage our risk profile for the G20 events - both this weekend in Cairns and in November here in Brisbane - have not changed." Threat level raised Last week, Australia's terrorism threat level was raised from medium to high, meaning a terrorist attack on home soil was now officially considered "likely".

The nation's outgoing spy chief ASIO Director General David Irvine said an attack could manifest itself in a Bali-style attack, although Prime Minister Tony Abbott said on Friday that the agencies had not detected any "particular plots". Uthman Badar of Hizb ut-Tahrir Australia, which describes itself as a political party whose ideology is Islam, said in a statement: "The AFP and NSW Police this morning conducted heavy-handed dawn raids involving hundreds of police in Sydney's north-west suburbs as well as in Brisbane. "As late as last week both the Prime Minister and outgoing ASIO boss David Irvine confirmed that there was no intelligence of any plans to carry out attacks in Australia. A few days later and we wake up to heavy-handed raids and talk of a 'terrorist network' planning attacks. Loading "The timing of these raids is suspect indeed. With the 'anti-terror' laws, which hit a wall in the community, to be tabled to Parliament next week and with 'military intervention' imminent in Iraq, these raids are very timely for the government and its propaganda campaign for the same."

- with Kristian Silva, Emma Partridge, Louise Hall, Paul Bibby