(CNN) Police in Australia said they have foiled a terror plot "inspired by ISIS" in which assailants were planning to target a prominent public places in Melbourne, a city still reeling from a deadly attack two weeks ago.

Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton said Tuesday that three people had been arrested in connection with the plot. Their planned attack hadn't been finalized, but the men had been intending to target a prominent public place.

"There was a view towards a crowded place, a place where maximum people would be attending to be able to kill, we allege, kill a maximum amount of people as possible," Ashton told reporters at a news conference Tuesday.

The three men, aged 21, 26 and 30, were Australian nationals of Turkish background, Ashton said, all of whom had had their passports canceled by federal agencies in the past year.

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He said the three men had been under investigation since March but in recent days they'd attempted to buy a .22 semi-automatic rifle for use in the alleged plot.

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