The Australia Federal Police have confirmed that a man has been arrested in America and accused of helping to plot a terrorist attack in Australia.

According to a statement from the AFP the 20-year-old man was arrested in Jacksonville, Florida, following a US Federal Bureau of Investigations-led Joint Terrorism Task Force operation.

Joshua Ryne Goldberg was arrested on charges of distributing information relating to explosives and destructive devices and weapons of mass destruction, the US State Department has said.

Goldberg is also accused of plotting to detonate pressure-cooker bomb at a memorial in Kansas City, Missouri, on the anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in New York.

View photos An image if the device Joshua Goldberg allegedly intended to detonate. Photo: Supplied More

It is also alleged he passed information over the internet to 'facilitate and encourage terrorist acts in Australia'.

Investigations by the AFP in June 2015 established no initial threat to the Australian community, according to a statement from the organisation.



According to the AFP, the investigation was handed to the FBI when it became clear the man was operating in the US.

The AFP has supported the FBI in its investigations, it said.

Acting deputy AFP commissioner for national security Neil Gaughan said the man had tried to use the internet to remain anonymous.

View photos A tweet allegedly sent by Goldberg has is one of many that has sparked speculation his is a notorious online troll. Photo: Supplied More

"This man thought he could willingly and maliciously distribute disturbing information via the internet and never have his identity discovered," acting deputy commissioner Gaughan said.

"This operation again highlights how law enforcement can investigate people in the online space and use our long-established partnerships to bring people to account for their actions."

He said the AFP wanted to emphasise that ensuring community safety had been the main goal of the operation.

The criminal complaint against Goldberg details numerous conversations from the Twitter account of someone using the names AusWitness and AusSecret, who presented himself as a Muslim living in Australia who supported the Islamic State militant group.

View photos One of the tweets attributed to Goldberg targeted controversial Australian cartoonist Larry Pickering. Photo: Twitter More

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