Melbourne man planned New Year's Eve terror attack, police say Published duration 28 November 2017

image copyright Getty Images image caption Ali Khalif Shire Ali allegedly planned to target New Year's Eve celebrations in Melbourne

Australian police have arrested a man they allege was planning to carry out a terror attack during New Year's Eve celebrations in Melbourne.

Ali Khalif Shire Ali, 20, will be charged with terrorism offences that carry a maximum penalty of life in prison, authorities said.

Police allege he had planned to shoot people with an automatic gun at Federation Square in the city's centre.

There is no ongoing threat to the public, police said.

Last year, about 500,000 people celebrated New Year's Eve in Melbourne's city centre.

Authorities said Mr Ali was born in Australia to Somali parents and had been monitored by police as a "person of interest" since January.

They said he had not obtained an automatic weapon before his arrest in Werribee, a Melbourne suburb, on Monday.

"What we will be alleging is that he was intending to use a firearm to shoot and kill as many people as he could," Victoria police deputy commissioner Shane Patton said on Tuesday.

"This is a person who would become particularly energised, for a lack of a better word, when overseas [terrorism] events occurred and would express a great deal of interest in committing an attack himself."

No other suspects

Mr Ali had obtained an al-Qaeda manual online with instructions for staging a terrorist attack, and was a sympathiser of so-called Islamic State, according to police.

Mr Patton said he had connections with extremists but was believed to be acting alone. No further arrests were expected.

Search warrants were executed at Mr Ali's home, a business where he had worked, and a relative's property.

The arrest was not linked to previous operations, police said.

Australian police have charged 74 people in counter-terrorism investigations since 2014, when the nation's terror threat level was raised to "probable".