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AFP and Victoria Police terror raids: Man arrested for funding terrorists

UPDATE: A Melbourne man has been charged for allegedly providing $12,000 to a terrorist group. Tony Abbott says anyone who funds terrorists is “complicit”.

Liz Burke, Charis Chang and wires
4 min read
September 30, 2014 - 7:31AM
Dozens of police are scouring gardens as part of the operation. Picture: Nicole Garmston
Dozens of police are scouring gardens as part of the operation. Picture: Nicole Garmston

A MELBOURNE man has been charged for allegedly providing more than $12,000 in funding to a known terrorist group following a large police operation this morning.

The 23-year-old was arrested at this home in Seabrook this morning as part of a joint counterterrorism raid involving more than 100 Australian Federal Police and Victoria Police officers.

Seven search warrants were executed across five Melbourne suburbs this morning, following information received from the US Federal Bureau of Investigation earlier this year.

“The information indicated that a Melbourne man was providing funding to a US citizen who had subsequently travelled to Syria to participate in fighter,” a police statement said.

Following the raids the offender was later charged with intentionally making funds available to a terrorist organisation, knowing that organisation was a terrorist organisation.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott said in parliament today that: “Anyone who supports terrorists is complicit in the dreadful deeds they do”.

He said the anti-money laundering agency Austrac had been given an extra $20 million to help track down terrorist funding.

Tony Abbott: “Anyone who supports terrorists is complicit”.
Tony Abbott: “Anyone who supports terrorists is complicit”.

Federal cabinet has yet to give final approval for a combat mission in Iraq to fight Islamic State.

But Mr Abbott said that subject to cabinet consideration “our objective is to support governments that don’t commit genocide against their own people, nor allow their territory to support terrorism against our people”.

ASIO will brief state and territory attorneys-general and police ministers at a meeting in Geelong on Friday on the national security threat.

Australian Federal Police officers will also brief the meeting on recent raids.

Funding terror: Man arrested at his home.
Funding terror: Man arrested at his home.

In a press conference this morning, officers said the raids were carried out after an eight-month investigation named Operation Hohensalzburg, which followed a tip-off from the FBI.

Australian Federal Police Assistant Commissioner Neil Gaughan said police decided to strike today before more funds were transferred to Syria.

“We will be alleging that this individual in Melbourne has been organising to contribute funds to overseas organisations that are prescribed terrorism organisations,” Mr Gaughan said.

“We did know there was an escalation in funds. We made a decision that we had to go over and stop the funding of this particular activity.”

AFP Assistant Commissioner Neil Gaughan speaks to the media about the terrorism raids.
AFP Assistant Commissioner Neil Gaughan speaks to the media about the terrorism raids.

Police will allege the Melbourne man was responsible for recruiting a man from the US who is currently fighting in Syria.

“He’d actually travelled from the US to Syria and that person we will allege is currently fighting in Syria,” Mr Gaughan said.

The man will appear before Melbourne Magistrates Court this afternoon charged with a number of offences relating to making funds available to a terrorist organisation.

Police have stressed today’s operation, in which a great deal of electronic evidence was seized, was not in relation to any imminent attack and said there was no risk to public safety involved.

“This is a terrorism financing case — we didn’t assess there being a significant community safety risk, or a significant risk to our officers,” Victoria Police Deputy Commissioner Graham Ashton said.

Dozens of police are scouring gardens as part of the operation. Picture: Nicole Garmston
Dozens of police are scouring gardens as part of the operation. Picture: Nicole Garmston

EARLIER: VICTORIA Police and Australian Federal Police officers are raiding a property in Melbourne’s suburbs.

One person has been taken into custody during raids at a Seabrook property which AFP has confirmed are terror-related.

The man is believed to be aged in his 20s and works at a pizza shop in Sunshine, a neighbour told the Herald Sun.

Fairfax Media is reporting the sting targeted “terrorism financing”.

The counter-terror raids are taking place in five suburbs across Melbourne, with one Seabrook property searched directly across the road from a primary school.

Around a dozen officers were seen accompanied by sniffer dogs at the property where the young man was led away by police.

“The Australian Federal Police and Victoria Police Joint Counter Terrorism Team can confirm that a number of search warrants are being conducted as part of an operation in the following suburbs: Seabrook, Kealba, Meadow Heights, Broadmeadows and Flemington,” a statement to news.com.au said.

Residents at Point Cook Road in Seabrook have told the Herald Sun of their shock at their neighbour being taken into custody.

Herve Du Buisson Perrine said he believed the man moved into the house in December after marrying his wife.

He said he was shocked to hear that the man could be related to terror raids.

Another neighbour Sandeep Singh, said having police raid a home in the neighbourhood was “scary”.

“We don’t expect anything like this to happen in our street,” he said.

Police are continuing to search the home and forensic officers are now on scene.

Greens MP Adam Bandt tweeted from Canberra saying he would seek a briefing on police activities in his electorate.

The raids follow the biggest ever counter-terror operation in Australia earlier this month involving joint operations between the AFP and NSW police.

A spokeswoman for AFP said the raids were not related to the incident involving a terror suspect shot dead in Melbourne last week.

“This operational activity is not in response to a threat to public safety nor is it related to last week’s incident at Endeavour Hills,” a statement said.

Victoria Premier Denis Napthine told 3AW the raids were part of a “long-running ongoing operation”.

“It is sad. It’s a sad situation that we now face, but we can have confidence in the work of ASIO, the Australian Federal Police and the (Victoria Police), they do a terrific job,” he said.

“They certainly are ahead of the game in terms of protecting public safety and preventing any issues emerging in our society.”

Earlier this month, Australia raised its terror warning to the second-highest level, citing the domestic threat posed by Islamic State supporters.

Victoria Police Deputy Commissioner Graham Ashton and Australian Federal Police Assistant Commissioner Neil Gaughan will hold a press conference at 11.30am.

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Original URL: https://www.news.com.au/national/afp-and-victoria-police-terror-raids-man-arrested-for-funding-terrorists/news-story/ebf6905878f787593bae305854988f13