MANY would know the small NSW town of Young as the “Cherry Capital of Australia”, but news of a terrorism raid has put the spotlight on the area’s Muslim population.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull confirmed on Tuesday the Australian Federal Police had arrested a 42-year-old man at his home, and Haisem Zahab has since been charged with alleged terrorism offences.

“This highlights that terrorism, support for terrorist groups, and Islamist extremism is not limited to our major cities,” Mr Turnbull said.

The Prime Minister said the charges were not related to a planned terror attack in Australia, but said the individual was alleged to have sought to advise Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL, on how to develop “hi-tech weapons capability”.

The man is believed to have been an electrician working in Young, a regional town located just two hours drive away from Canberra.

According to the former Young Shire Council website, Young is considered to be one of the fastest growing towns in regional NSW.

While it was once famous for being the site of the infamous Lambing Flat Riots of 1861 that saw locals target the Chinese population, race relations in Young have been a lot more peaceful in recent years.

According to The Daily Telegraph, many Lebanese Muslim families began arriving in Young area about 20 years ago, to work in nearby halal abattoirs and on vegetable and cherry farms.

Arabic is now the second most common language spoken at home, although it still only accounts for 0.8 per cent of the town’s population, which totalled 6960 people in 2011.

The sleepy former mining town has seen its old drive-in cinema transformed into the Omar Ibn Khatab mosque, and burqas, niqabs and hijabs are not an uncommon sight on Young’s streets.

Local authorities say that despite occasional outbursts of racism, the region has avoided much of the religious conflict that has unsettled parts of Western Sydney.

“They assimilate in the community very well — they go to school with our kids,” Mayor John Walker told The Daily Telegraph about the estimated 400 Muslims living in Young.

The arrest of one of the town’s Muslim residents will now turn the spotlight on the community as authorities search for answers.

AFP Commissioner Andrew Colvin said the 42-year-old man who was arrested today, is alleged to have networks and contacts in Islamic State.

Mr Colvin said those contacts were not necessarily in conflict zones “but in other parts of the world as well and he has been relying on them to pass this information”.

It’s alleged Mr Zahab acted alone in Young.

He has been charged with a number of offences, including two serious foreign incursion offences under the Commonwealth criminal code, which carry a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.

Mr Zahab appeared in Young Local Court this afternoon and was formally refused bail. He is due to appear in Parramatta Local Court on March 8.

Mr Colvin said Mr Zahab was born in Australia and was an Australian citizen.

The AFP will allege the man used the internet to perform services for Islamic State from Australia.

Firstly, by researching and designing a laser warning device to help warn against incoming laser-guided munitions used by coalition forces in Syria and Iraq.

Secondly, that he had been researching, designing and modelling systems to assist Islamic State’s efforts to develop a long-range guided missile.

Federal Justice Minister Michael Keenan said the arrest today was the result of an 18-month-long operation.

“It reminds us that whether you are in a capital city planning an attack on home soil or whether you are in a small country town, trying to assist the terrorist state in the Middle East, you will get caught,” Mr Keenan said.