AFP to take over Parliament House Security after 'chatter' about possible terrorist attack; investigation into thwarted 'beheading plot' continues

Updated

Security at Parliament House has been ramped up after "chatter" among terrorist support networks about a possible attack on government, Prime Minister Tony Abbott says.

On Thursday more than 800 police launched synchronised raids on houses and vehicles across Sydney and Brisbane - the biggest counter-terrorism raids in Australia's history.

Four of the 15 people arrested have been charged, with one man accused of plotting to grab innocent members of the public and execute them.

Further raids were conducted in Sydney on Thursday night, Australian Federal Police (AFP) acting commissioner Andrew Colvin said, adding that "we can expect to see more activity in relation to this investigation in the coming days, weeks and months".

Mr Abbott said AFP officers have taken over security at Parliament House, which he said has been "specifically mentioned" as a possible terrorist attack target.

"There certainly has been chatter amongst the terrorist support networks of an attack on government and government people and Parliament House has been specifically mentioned," he told ABC's AM program.

"As a result, a week or so back there was an urgent review of security at the national Parliament.

"Subsequently we are placing the Australian Federal Police in charge of security, not just outside the building but inside the building as well."

Mr Abbott said the investigation into the alleged plot was ongoing.

"The message from yesterday is that the Government of Australia, that all of the governments of Australia, will do absolutely everything we can to keep our community safe," he said.

"And where we have evidence of a likely terrorist event, we will act with great determination and decisiveness to nip it in the bud."

The Defence Department has meanwhile confirmed the security alert level at all bases and buildings has been raised.

Attorney-General George Brandis said intelligence officials believe an attack could have happened "within days" had it not been for the raids.

"Had this not been disrupted when it was, it would have happened within days," he said.

Mr Abbott said it would be "pretty difficult" for him to continue his trip to Arnhem Land, which he cut short yesterday to farewell Australian forces heading to the Middle East ahead of an international mission against Islamic State (IS) militants in Iraq.

Mr Abbott had said he would return to Nhulunbuy today for the last day of his promised week focusing on Indigenous Affairs.

But he cancelled those plans, and instead called a meeting of his National Security Committee.

Counter-terrorism raids thwart 'beheading' plot

The ABC understands the raids foiled a plot involving a man believed to be Australia's most senior IS member who called contacts in Australia and asked them to carry out a campaign of random public beheadings in Sydney and Brisbane.

Mohammad Ali Baryalei, a former Kings Cross bouncer and part-time actor, is understood to have made the instruction to kidnap people in Brisbane and Sydney and have them executed on camera.

That video was then to be sent back to IS's media unit, where it would be publicly released.

Omarjan Azari, 22, from the western Sydney suburb of Guildford, was one of 15 people detained during the operation in Sydney.

He is accused of conspiring with Baryalei and others to act in preparation or plan a terrorist act or acts, court documents show.

Azari appeared in court on Thursday, accused of plotting to behead a random member of the Australian public.

The court was told the charges against Azari stemmed from a single phone call intercepted earlier this week and police made their move on Friday morning to disrupt a group of mostly Afghan Australians 48 hours after that phone call, concerned at how close it was to going ahead.

Azari was remanded in custody and will face court again in November.

A 24-year-old man from Merrylands has been charged with possessing ammunition without license and unauthorised possession of a prohibited weapon.

Two others remain in police custody and two women were issued Future Court Attendance Notices.

Nine other people detained on Thursday have been released as investigations continue.

NSW Police will conduct round-the-clock patrols of Sydney's iconic landmarks and major transport hubs amid a heightened security threat after Thursday's raids.

In Queensland, there were raids at Logan and in Brisbane following the arrest of two men last week. Authorities say there are connections to the operation in New South Wales.

The raids were the culmination of a surveillance operation by intelligence and police agencies that began in May.

Kerry says raids another reason to destroy Islamic State

US secretary of state John Kerry used the raids as another reason to destroy IS while giving a second day of testimony to Congress about the Obama administration's plans to attack the militant group in Syria and Iraq.

He told the House Foreign Affairs Committee that Australia had arrested sympathisers and supporters of IS who had been planning "some sort of extravaganza of brutality".

"I don't know how many of you saw it today, but the Australians today arrested a large group of people that they suspected of being ISIL members, supporters, sympathisers in Australia who were planning some kind of extravaganza of brutality in Australia," he said.

"So we have to decimate and discredit a militant cult masquerading as a religious movement and claiming with no legitimacy whatsoever to be a state."

The White House has also welcomed a decision by France to help the US bomb IS targets in Iraq, but not Syria.

Around 200 people from Sydney's Muslim community protested against the raids on Thursday night, accusing authorities of drumming up hysteria.

The group heard claims of police brutality and political hysteria, and the speakers included children who said they witnessed one of the raids. One said he and his mother were assaulted.

The crowd was calm and ordered but it was angry at what one demonstrator called "the politicisation of security".

"We are not here to disrupt security. Muslims are as much concerned about security and peace as anyone else but at the same time we are not fools," Uthman Badar from Islamic group Hizb ut-Tahrir said.

Political leaders including Mr Abbott have stressed that the people arrested do not represent all Australian Muslims.

"I certainly don't want to isolate any community. I want to wrap up the extended family of the Australian nation in an embrace," Mr Abbott told Radio National.

"That's what I want to do because we are all in this together and frankly we would all be the victims of any terrorist attack here in Australia.

"I'm very encouraged by the fact that the overwhelming majority of Australian Muslims are enthusiastic about Australia, they're committed to our country and they have no truck whatsoever with the misguided fanatics, with the blood-thirsty extremists who we've seen on our screens in the Middle East and who regrettably do include at least 60 Australians."

How it happened



In the early hours of September 18, hundreds of police officers burst through the doors of houses across Sydney and Brisbane in response to an alleged terrorist plot targeting Australian victims for beheading on camera.

Click through to see how they unfolded.

Joint operation





The anti-terrorism raid is the largest in Australia's history, with more than 800 officers and multiple federal and state agencies involved.

Twenty-five search warrants were executed across Sydney, and so far four of the 15 people arrested in the raids have been charged. Key suspect arrested



Neighbours say police burst into a single-storey home in Guildford about 4:00am, shouting through loudspeakers and with a helicopter hovering overhead.

They arrested 22-year-old Sydney man Omarjan Azari, who was later charged with conspiracy to prepare for a terrorist attack on Australian soil.

A woman who identified herself as the sister-in-law of the people inside the home told an ABC reporter they have "nothing to do with terrorism".

IS beheading plot



Two days earlier, police intercepted a call allegedly from Mohammed Ali Baryalei, the Afghan-born, senior-most Australian within the Islamic State group.

In the call, he allegedly instructed Azari to carry out a plan to snatch random members of the public off the street in both Sydney and Brisbane - and behead them on camera.

Police made their move to disrupt a group of mostly Afghan Australians 48 hours after that phone call, concerned at how close it was to going ahead.

The recordings were to be sent to the Islamic State media unit in the Middle East, and then released.





Simultaneous Brisbane raids



Three houses in the south of Brisbane were also targeted by police in simultaneous raids.

The ABC understands that during the raids, police arrested some suspects who had machetes, balaclavas and military fatigues in preparation to carry out similar and simultaneous attacks.

The raids come a week after raids on an Islamic book store and eight other properties south of Brisbane.

Accused faces court



Omar Succarieh, who was arrested after last week's raids and is accused of aiding the terrorist group Jabhat al-Nusra, was refused bail after a court heard he was recorded telling his wife he had to leave Australia before he was arrested.

Succarieh established the Islamic Centre at Logan, which was raided by a taskforce of Queensland and federal police last week.

The court was told of a secret recording in which, Succarieh, from Kuraby, south of Brisbane, expressed support for the group.

Police brutality allegations



At a raid on a property at Marsfield, Maywand Osman - who was detained but not arrested - claims to have been punched by an officer.

"I opened the door this morning at 4:45am to about four police officers," he said. "They asked me to raise my hands. I immediately raised my hands. Four officers then jumped at me and one punched me in the face. They threw me to the ground and started hitting me in the head and pulling my hair.

"One officer grabbed me by the hair and said, 'You piece of shit'. While they were beating me I heard one officer say, 'Just don't make him bleed'.

"They then went inside my house to conduct a search. They found nothing in my house and I was not under arrest or in custody at any point in time."



Note: Markers on map are placed to represent suburb location only.

In the early hours of September 18, hundreds of police officers burst through the doors of houses across Sydney and Brisbane in response to an alleged terrorist plot targeting Australian victims for beheading on camera.Click through to see how they unfolded.The anti-terrorism raid is the largest in Australia's history, with more than 800 officers and multiple federal and state agencies involved.Twenty-five search warrants were executed across Sydney, and so far four of the 15 people arrested in the raids have been charged. Neighbours say police burst into a single-storey home in Guildford about 4:00am, shouting through loudspeakers and with a helicopter hovering overhead.They arrested 22-year-old Sydney man Omarjan Azari, who was later charged with conspiracy to prepare for a terrorist attack on Australian soil.A woman who identified herself as the sister-in-law of the people inside the home told an ABC reporter they have "nothing to do with terrorism".Two days earlier, police intercepted a call allegedly from Mohammed Ali Baryalei, the Afghan-born, senior-most Australian within the Islamic State group.In the call, he allegedly instructed Azari to carry out a plan to snatch random members of the public off the street in both Sydney and Brisbane - and behead them on camera.Police made their move to disrupt a group of mostly Afghan Australians 48 hours after that phone call, concerned at how close it was to going ahead.The recordings were to be sent to the Islamic State media unit in the Middle East, and then released.Three houses in the south of Brisbane were also targeted by police in simultaneous raids.The ABC understands that during the raids, police arrested some suspects who had machetes, balaclavas and military fatigues in preparation to carry out similar and simultaneous attacks.The raids come a week after raids on an Islamic book store and eight other properties south of Brisbane.Omar Succarieh, who was arrested after last week's raids and is accused of aiding the terrorist group Jabhat al-Nusra, was refused bail after a court heard he was recorded telling his wife he had to leave Australia before he was arrested.Succarieh established the Islamic Centre at Logan, which was raided by a taskforce of Queensland and federal police last week.The court was told of a secret recording in which, Succarieh, from Kuraby, south of Brisbane, expressed support for the group.At a raid on a property at Marsfield, Maywand Osman - who was detained but not arrested - claims to have been punched by an officer."I opened the door this morning at 4:45am to about four police officers," he said. "They asked me to raise my hands. I immediately raised my hands. Four officers then jumped at me and one punched me in the face. They threw me to the ground and started hitting me in the head and pulling my hair."One officer grabbed me by the hair and said, 'You piece of shit'. While they were beating me I heard one officer say, 'Just don't make him bleed'."They then went inside my house to conduct a search. They found nothing in my house and I was not under arrest or in custody at any point in time."

Topics: terrorism, unrest-conflict-and-war, islam, laws, law-crime-and-justice, canberra-2600, lakemba-2195, nsw, australia, qld, act

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