Police counter terror raids in Melbourne’s north
UPDATE: Federal police have moved the search of an Ascot Vale flat to the unit block’s carpark, with officers now probing a car as part of the investigation into the Brighton siege.
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UPDATE: Federal police have moved the search of an Ascot Vale flat to the unit block’s carpark, with officers now probing a car as part of the investigation into the Brighton siege.
Six officers begin to search a blue Mazda hatchback ten hours after arriving at the property in Melbourne’s north this morning.
A forensic officer could be seen taking photographs inside the plate-less car.
Two uniformed officers, both wearing face masks, opened the boot and front of the car and began their search with flashlights.
Earlier today, counter terrorism police arrested a man during raids on homes in Melbourne as they searched for those who supplied the weapons used by Yacqub Khayre during his deadly Brighton rampage.
Police have taken a man into custody at Gladstone Park. A 32-year-old is being interviewed.
Two more men are being spoken to at a property at Glenroy — a 31-year-old man and his father, aged 51.
An imitation shotgun was found at the property, Victoria Police Deputy Commissioner Shane Patton said this morning.
DID YOU WITNESS THE RAIDS? DO YOU KNOW MORE? EMAIL news@heraldsun.com.au or david.hurley@news.com.au
A flat in Ascot Vale was also raided by Australian Federal Police officers but nobody was home at the unit and entry was forced, Deputy Commission Patton said.
Uniformed and plain-clothed officers stormed the commission flat in Churchill Ave shortly before 5am.
Police searching commission flats in Ascot Vale as part of counter-terrorism operation connected with Brighton siege @theheraldsun pic.twitter.com/ZRSioP5Zgb
— Genevieve Alison (@GenevieveAlison) June 8, 2017
Evidence was collected from the flat, with tarps and police tape being set up around the area.
Officers could be seen pulling apart the small commission flat in Churchill Ave, removing contents including multiple rugs, furniture and a door.
A laptop was also taken from the property by police.
Up to ten officers were conducting the search at the location as part of a counter terrorism operation in connection with Monday’s terror siege in Brighton.
Six officers could be seen on a balcony wearing gloves and surgical masks.
Sniffer dogs were also at the scene.
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WHAT WE KNOW
* About 150 people from state and federal police and national security service ASIO simultaneously raid properties in three Melbourne suburbs about 5am
* The Victorian premier says it’s related to deadly Brighton siege on Monday when Yacqub Khayre killed hotel clerk Kai Hao, took a woman hostage and wounded three police officers
* In Glenroy, one of five people present taken into custody. 32-year-old man grazed his face while he was being arrested
* In Gladstone Park, imitation shotgun seized and father and son, aged 51 and 31, are being spoken to by police
* In Ascot Vale, no one home so police forced entry into the housing commission flat on Churchill Ave where items bagged as evidence by officers
* Police say suspects not of national security interest but known to police through criminal history
* Police investigating how Brighton offender obtained the gun used in the siege
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Deputy Commissioner Patton said the men spoken to following the raids were not suspected of terrorism-related activity but were being investigated over provision of firearms used by Brighton attacker Khayre.
Khayre killed apartment worker Nick Hao and took another woman taken hostage on Monday.
Khayre was gunned down by police during the siege.
Deputy Commission Patton said Khayre used two guns during the deadly siege — a sawn-off shotgun and a shotgun.
Today’s raids followed investigations focused on the provision of firearms used in the siege, he said.
“Two firearms at the Brighton incident,” Deputy Commission Patton told a media conference.
“One was a sawn-off shotgun that was used as he (Khayre) exited the premises.
“(The) other was a shotgun.
“I want to make perfectly clear, we haven’t yet uncovered anybody with links to terrorism who are associated with the offender from the Brighton attack.
“At this stage the persons who we’re speaking to this morning aren’t known to us from a national security interest.”
A neighbour of the flat raided in Ascot Vale, Thomas McNair, said he was woken by the sounds of “crashing” as officers began banging on doors.
“They said ‘it’s the police, open up, let us in,” Mr McNair said.
“I just thought ‘what’s going on, is everything all right?’.”
Mr McNair said a couple aged in their 30s lived at the address being searched.
He said the man and woman had lived there for two years.
Another neighbour Frank Toro said crime was common in the area around the Ascot Vale commission flats.
He said he thought someone was breaking into one of the flats when he was woken by “loud banging” as police rammed doors around 4:40am.
“I thought about calling the police but then I heard them yelling saying: it’s the police, open up,” Mr Toro said. “Then it all went quiet after that.”
Officers have spent several hours searching the Churchill Ave flat.
An elderly couple were taken up to the second-storey flat by officers around 9am and could be seen sitting on the balcony while police collected and bagged evidence around them.
A laptop was removed by officers and police tape has also been set up around two vehicles at the property.
Police are still searching the Gladstone Park property.
Deputy Commissioner Patton said there was a large amount of items inside.
Neighbours remain tight-lipped about the family living in the house.
Police found an imitation shot gun while executing a search warrant on a Snaefell Crescent house. They were seen leaving the house with evidence bags about 11am.
Those living nearby say they were reluctant to speak about the residents in the home, only to say they mostly kept to themselves, and occasionally said hello.
Alebella Caruana said she was watching television about 4.30am when she heard police yelling at the family to “come out”.
“All I saw was the cops out the front ... there were coppers everywhere,” she said
Deputy Commissioner Patton confirmed the 32-year-old man arrested at Glenroy suffer minor grazing to his face.
“The warrants that were used this morning, warrants under the Commonwealth Crimes Act and therefore evidence, we’re investigating aiding and abetting commission of engagement into terrorist acts,” he said.
The offences, if people are charged, can carry life imprisonment.
Premier Daniel Andrews spoke in Tasmania this morning, where he is attending the Council of Australian Governments meeting today, about the raids.
He confirmed they were in connection with the Brighton siege.
“Limited in what we can say we don’t want to put any of our operational staff in harm’s way by speaking about these matters,” he said.
“But they are in connection with the terrible tragic events of Monday in Brighton.”
About 20 police were seen “running around” on a major road in the northern suburbs early this morning.
Members of the Special Operations Group were also involved, according to a caller to 3AW.
“They are running around like mad,” a caller said.
“They’re in transit but they must be close because they’re running.”