ABC:
The emerging reality of terrorism in Australia struck home just before dawn on Thursday when more than 800 police launched synchronised raids on houses and vehicles across Sydney’s west and north-west, and Brisbane’s south.
The raids foiled a plot involving a man believed to be Australia’s most senior Islamic State member who called contacts in Australia and asked them to carry out a campaign of random public beheadings in Sydney and Brisbane, the ABC understands.
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 and is accused of conspiring with Mr Baryalei and others to act in preparation or plan a terrorist act or acts, court documents show.
Commonwealth prosecutor Michael Allnutt told Sydney’s Central Local Court the alleged offence was “clearly designed to shock, horrify and terrify the community”.
Mr Allnutt said there was “a plan to commit extremely serious offences” that involved an “unusual level of fanaticism”.
He said the plot involved the “random selection of persons to rather gruesomely execute” and said there was an “irrational determination to commit that plan” because those allegedly involved continued to plot the attacks even though they knew they were under police surveillance.
The court was told the charges against Azari stemmed from a single phone call intercepted earlier this week and police made their move this morning to disrupt a group of mostly Afghan Australians 48 hours after that phone call, concerned at how close it was to going ahead.
“It’s been an immediate reaction to a clear, imperative danger,” Mr Allnutt said. “There is still an enormous amount of material for police to assess.”
There was heightened security at the court for Azari’s appearance.
The prosecution opposed bail, saying the unusual level of fanaticism meant Azari would be unlikely to adhere to any court orders.
His barrister Steven Boland told the court police have very little evidence to support the charge, except for one phone call.
Azari did not apply for bail and the case was adjourned until November 13.
A 24-year-old man from Merrylands, who was charged with possessing ammunition without licence and unauthorised possession of a prohibited weapon, has been bailed to appear in Fairfield Local Court on September 24.
Nine of those detained today have now been released as investigations continue.
Two others remain in police custody and two women were issued Future Court Attendance Notice
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