Australia has foiled a “terrorist plot” to bring down an airplane with an improvised explosive, authorities said yesterday, after four people were arrested in raids across Sydney.
Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said the plot appeared to be “elaborate” rather than planned by a lone wolf, as security was beefed up at major domestic and international airports across the nation.
“I can report last night that there has been a major joint counterterrorism operation to disrupt a terrorist plot to bring down an airplane,” Turnbull told reporters. “The threat of terrorism is very real. The disruption operation, the efforts overnight have been very effective, but there’s more work to do.”
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Officials did not specify if the alleged plot involved a domestic or international flight, but Sydney’s Daily Telegraph reported that a local route had been the objective.
Australian Federal Police Commissioner Andrew Colvin described the plot as “Islamic-inspired,” saying that four men had been arrested on Saturday in a series of raids across Sydney.
Colvin added that local authorities had received “credible information from partner agencies” about the claims, but would not elaborate further or say if the men were on any watch list.
“In recent days, law enforcement has become aware of information that suggested some people in Sydney were planning to commit a terrorist attack using an IED [improvised explosive device],” he told reporters.
He added that several items “of great interest to police” had been seized in the raids, but police did not yet have much information on the specific attack, the location, date or time.
The investigation is expected to be “very long and protracted,” he said.
“However, we’re investigating information indicating the aviation industry was potentially a target of that attack,” he added.
Colvin would not provide further details, but the Australian Broadcasting Corp said police on Saturday found items that could be used to make a homemade bomb in one of the raided homes.
Authorities believe they planned to smuggle the device onto a plane to blow it up, it added.
Four men on Saturday were arrested after armed police stormed homes in at least four neighborhoods, although their names and ages have not been released and they have not been charged by police.
Airline passengers have meanwhile been asked to arrive at least two hours early for domestic flights and three hours for international routes, and to limit their baggage.
“Australia has very strong safeguards in place at its airports; these changes are about making them even stronger,” Australian carrier Qantas said.
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