Prime Minister Tony Abbott has revealed the details of the detention of a terror suspect. Source: News Corp Australia
A SUSPECTED Australian terrorist was dragged from a plane at Melbourne Airport by Border Force officials after allegedly trying to fly to Syria to join a jihadi group.
The revelations come as it appears increasingly likely Australia will be called upon by America in coming days to back military-action in Syria and Iraq against the ISIL terror group.
The Melbourne man, who is an Australian citizen, was flying to Beirut in Lebanon with three family members when he was detained aboard a flight on a Middle Eastern airline on Monday.
He was searched by Australian Federal Police officers, who discovered he was carrying around $30,000 in Australian currency.
MORE: Australia’s secret ISIS dossier
He was also allegedly in possession of terror-related images including photographs of beheadings, and images of the flag flown by the murderous terror group ISIL, which is rampaging across Syria and Iraq.
The family members were not suspected of any illicit behaviour and were free to continue but chose not to fly.
Tullamarine Airport. Source: News Limited
Prime Minister Tony Abbott yesterday revealed that Customs and Border Protection counter-terrorism officers had started work at Sydney and Melbourne airports late last week, and would be rolled out to all eight of Australia’s international airports in coming weeks.
A number of Australians have managed to get out of the country and join the brutal jihadis, including Sydney man Khaled Sharrouf, who took his family with him and posted a photograph of his seven-year-old son holding up a severed head.
Mr Abbott told Parliament yesterday the new Border Force counter-terrorism groups had detained “at least one person of interest.’’
“Regrettably at least 60 Australians are known to have gone overseas to fight with terrorist groups in Syria and Northern Iraq including the ISIL movement and regrettably about 100 Australians are known to have been supporting or facilitating these terrorist groups,’’ Mr Abbott said.
A man aged between 25 years and 35 years was also arrested at Sydney International Airport on Sunday and removed from a flight after being found to be carrying objectionable material — thought to beterror-related images.
The man arrested in Melbourne was taken from the airport after being interviewed and released back into the community, where he remains under investigation and surveillance.
Details of the two men’s arrests came as it appeared increasingly likely Australia would sign up to an American-led military engagement in Iraq and Syria within days.
ASIO Director General David Irvine. Source: News Corp Australia
Mr Abbott yesterday did not deny reports in the New York Times that US President Barack Obama was gathering together a coalition of allies — including Australia, Britain, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates, to back an air war against ISIL.
“Rooting out a cancer like ISIL won’t be easy and it won’t be quick,’’ Mr Obama said.
Mr Abbott’s office last night issued a statement advising that neither Australia nor the US were considering putting combat troops on the ground.
“Our response to any request from the United States, or other close allies and partners, will be based on whether there is an achievable overall humanitarian purpose and a clear and proportionate role for Australia as well as on a careful assessment of the risks,’’ his spokesman said.
Other sources said Australia’s involvement would likely involve fighter jets, currently on standby at the Amberley base near Brisbane, and the deployment of special forces.
Australian forces are already deployed in the area after taking part in a humanitarian airlift of food and water to the minority Yazidi group, besieged by ISIL on Mt Sinjar in northern Iraq.
ASIO Director-General David Irvine revealed yesterday that 15 Australians — including two suicide bombers — had been killed while fighting in Syria and Iraq.
It was also revealed yesterday that the Government’s National Security Committee had considered a request to supply weapons to the Kurdish Peshmerga militia, which is fighting ISIL in northern Iraq.
Haval Syan, a representative of the Kurdish Regional Government in Australia, wrote to Ms Bishop seeking “equipment and ammunitions and air support’’.
Ms Bishop, who said she did not know about the letter, later told Parliament that the letter had been received and sent to lawyers for advice, as it had not come from a registered diplomat or nation-state.
She confirmed the National Security Committee had considered the request, but did not provide answers on the committee’s decision.
Ms Bishop was last night flying to Indonesia to sign an agreement with her Indonesian counter part Marty Natalegawa to settle the dispute over Australia spying on the phones of Indonesian president Susilo Bambang Yudhyono. The two countries will sign an agreement in Bali today promising not to use their intelligence resources to harm each others’ interests.
ellen.whinnett@news.com.au
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