Police disrupt plot in Australia to bring down an airplane

DEBKAfile was founded by a team of journalists in June 2000 as an independent Internet Web site, providing an intelligence and security news service. July 29, 2017, 12:53 PM (IDT)

Australian counter-terrorism police fanned out Saturday for raids across four Sydney suburbs, Surry Hills, Lakemba, Wiley Park and Punchbowl, in relation to “an ongoing investigation. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull decline to give out any information while the raids were in progress.  One man is said to be in custody.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said that security has been increased at Sydney Airport since Thursday because of the plot. The increased security measures also were extended to all major international and domestic terminals around Australia overnight.

“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 operation is continuing.”

Australian Federal Police Commissioner Andrew Colvin said: “In recent days, law enforcement has been become aware of information that suggested some people in Sydney were planning to commit a terrorist attack using an improvised devise,” Colvin said. “We are investigating information indicating the aviation industry was potentially a target of that attack.”

Authorities said they had thwarted a number of potential terrorist threats since several “lone wolf” attacks, including a cafe siege in Sydney that left two hostages and the gunman dead.

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