Far-right activist charged with illegally possessing weapons and bomb-making manual
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Version 0 of 1. A Melbourne man active in the far-right United Patriots Front has been charged with illegally possessing weapons and a bomb-making manual days before an anti-mosque rally in Victoria. Phillip Galea, 31, of Braybrook, was due to appear before Melbourne magistrates court on Friday charged with possession of a prohibited weapon and one count of possessing a prescribed chemical. Related: United Patriots Front head Shermon Burgess resigns over video mocking him Galea was arrested on Thursday morning as police searched his home and allegedly found five tasers, a jar containing a small amount of mercury, and a copy of The Anarchist Cookbook. He was taken into custody after police received information that some people intended to take weapons for “self-defence” to the Reclaim Australia rally in Melton on Sunday. The anti-Islam group is protesting against plans to build a mosque on Melbourne’s outskirts. Galea admitted possessing a copy of The Anarchist Cookbook before he was refused bail during an out-of-session hearing on Thursday night. “Pretty much most people my age would have a copy of the Anarchist Handbook [sic], it’s well circulated,” he told the bail justice. “I have no intention of harming anyone.” The search at Galea’s home also turned up a large amount of “extreme political material related to the United Patriots Front” and information about how to manufacture explosives, police said. “We found an extensive array ... of information that had been downloaded and stored,” said Detective Leading Senior Constable Brett Parker. Galea, who works as a labourer, said he was politically active. “At the moment I am actively involved in the patriot movement, which is why they [police] would have a lot of stuff there,” he said. Police said Galea could face a further charge of refusing to give police access to material after they found a hard drive with encrypted files. Parker opposed bail on the basis that Galea was an unacceptable risk to public safety. Galea said he had no intention of making a bomb. “I have not actually had an intention to create an explosive device or utilise any such piece of equipment,” he said. Reclaim Australia has pledged a peaceful protest in Melton, but Victoria Police have issued a warning to right- and left-wing groups after reports of a counter-rally emerged. Related: The UPF and Reclaim Australia aren't 'concerned parents' or a bad joke | Andy Fleming Police are also concerned emotions over the terrorist attacks in Paris could boil over at the rallies. Assistant commissioner Stephen Leane urged people to keep their emotions about the Paris attacks in check. “Paris has had a significant impact on the Western world, there’s no doubt about that,” he said on Thursday. People should reflect on their emotions rather than use them as a reason to act out, the assistant commissioner says. “Reflecting that emotion through violence is not going to achieve anything in the Australian perspective,” Leane said. “It won’t achieve anything in Melton, and it certainly won’t bring any comfort to the victims in Paris.” Authorities would not confirm how many police officers would be on duty in Melton other than to say there would be a significant police presence. “The extreme views on either side are prepared to use violence to get their word heard the most, so we’re going in prepared,” Leane said. |