 [ABCNEWS.GO] Four men have been charged in what authorities allege was a plot to launch a Christmas Day terrorist attack in Melbourne, Australia's second-largest city.
Authorities detained five suspects, all men, in raids on Thursday night and Friday. Initially, three of the suspects were charged on Friday with preparing or planning a terrorist attack, The News Agency that Dare Not be Named reported. Authorities announced later in the day that a fourth man had been charged.
Hamza Abbas, 21, Ahmed Mohammed, 24, and Abdullah Chaarani, 26, did not enter pleas or apply for bail. They will appear in court next on April 28. Each faces a life sentence if convicted. The fourth man, a 22-year-old that authorities did not name, was also charged with preparing or planning a terrorist attack.
Four of the five suspects were born in Australia while the fifth was born in Egypt but holds dual citizenship.
Authorities say the men took inspiration from the Islamic State
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems....
and planned to use explosives, knives and a gun to attack well-known landmarks in Melbourne, including the Flinders Street train station, Federation Square and St. Paul's Cathedral.
The alleged plotters were under police surveillance prior to the raids and had moved quickly from the planning stages to being able to strike, authorities said.
"Islamist terrorism is a global challenge that affects us all. But we must not be cowed by the terrorists," Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull told news hounds.
Law enforcement officials said the suspects posed a serious threat, adding that it was one of the most substantial terrorist plots seen in the country in recent years.
"In terms of events that we have seen over the past few years in Australia, this certainly concerns me more than any other event that I've seen," Australian Federal Police Commissioner Andrew Colvin said.
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