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Australia: Sweeping Raids Seek People Planning Terrorist Attacks Australia: Sweeping Raids Seek People Planning Terrorist Attacks
(35 minutes later)
More than 800 heavily armed Australian police officers conducted antiterrorism raids in Sydney and Brisbane early on Thursday, and at least 15 people were detained, the police said. One was charged with a serious terrorism-related offense in the raids, which were described as the largest in Australian history. The move came just days after Australia raised its terrorism threat level to “high” for the first time, citing the likelihood of attacks by Australians radicalized in Iraq or Syria. The acting commissioner of the federal police, Andrew Colvin, said the subjects of the raids “had the intention and had started to carry out planning to commit violent acts here in Australia.” Intelligence showed that militants connected with the Islamic State were planning to behead a member of the public in Australia, Prime Minister Tony Abbott said Thursday after more than 800 Australian police officers conducted antiterrorism raids in Sydney and Brisbane early that day. At least 15 people were detained, the police said. One was charged with a serious terrorism-related offense in the raids. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation and other local news outlets reported earlier Thursday that members of the group planned to snatch a random person in Sydney and execute that person. Asked about the reports, Mr. Abbott, using another name for the Islamic State, said, “The exhortations, quite direct exhortations, were coming from an Australian who is apparently quite senior in ISIL.”