Suspected bomb carried to check-in area at Sydney International Airport
ONE man planned to use his oblivious brother as a mule to carry a ‘military-grade’ explosive on a commercial flight, police allege.
ONE man planned to pack a bomb filled with “military-grade” explosive in the luggage of his unwitting brother who was to become a “mule” to carry it on-board a flight, police allege.
On Friday police revealed new details of the alleged plot to bring down a commercial Etihad flight from Sydney to Abu Dhabi.
They believe two separate attacks were being planned under the direction of a senior figure in the Islamic State in Syria including one to hide a bomb inside a meat mincer.
“With assistance from the IS commander, the accused assembled the IED into what we believe was a functional IED to be placed on that flight,” Australian Federal Police (AFP) Deputy Commissioner Michael Phelan said.
“We will be alleging the person who was to carry the IED had no idea they were carrying an IED.”
Khaled Mahmoud Khayat, 49, of Lakemba, and Mahmoud Khayat, 32, of Punchbowl, have been charged with two counts of preparing and planning a terrorist act. One other man remains in custody.
Commissioner Phelan said elements of an improvised explosive device were sent by IS operatives in a single package through international air cargo to the accused men.
The device was planned to be detonated on an Etihad flight out of Sydney on July 15, AFP alleges, but the plan was aborted.
Mr Phelan said the man who was to be carrying the bag containing the IED boarded the flight and remains overseas, but the bag with the “fully functioning” device was never checked in.
“There is a little bit of conjecture as to why it didn’t go ahead on the 15th. We certainly would be alleging that it didn’t get passed the pulling on the bags, it didn’t get passed the check-in,” he said.
Police said a second attack was planned using an improvised chemical device designed to release “a highly toxic hydrogen sulphide”.
Mr Phelan said the device, which was very difficult to make, was “fairly well advanced, but not enough to be a fully initiated device”.
Mr Phelan said joint counter terror officers “completely disrupted” both plots and there was “absolutely no ongoing threat”.
“Not only have we stopped the IED that was believed to go on the plane but we have also completely disrupted the intended chemical dispersion device and we believe we have got all of the necessary components of that device as well,” he said.
Speaking at the same media conference, NSW Police Deputy Commissioner David Hudson said the charged men had been put in contact with the senior IS figure through the brother of one of the men.
“We will be alleging in court that the communications were commenced around about April,” Mr Hudson said.
“One of the two gentlemen charged, the brother we’re alleging is a senior member of ISIL in Syria and he indeed introduced another person who we call the controller to one of the people that has been arrested — charged.”
Mr Hudson said the components of the two explosive devices were found dispersed between a number of premises that police raided on July 29.
Two men were represented in a Sydney court on Friday in relation to the plots.
The NSW Joint Counter Terrorism Team on Thursday charged a 49-year-old Lakemba man, Khaled Mahmoud Khayat, and Mahmoud Khayat, a 32-year-old Punchbowl man, with two counts each of acts in preparation for a terrorist act.
The maximum penalty for the offence is life imprisonment.
Both men were formally refused bail at Parramatta Local Court Friday morning.
Following the disturbing details that the explosive device was sent in parts in the mail to the men, Minister for Immigration and Border Protection Peter Dutton instructed that there would be extra screening through air cargo.
At a press conference on Friday morning, Justice Minister Michael Keenan said screening packages coming into Australia was “a very big job”.
“But we’ve taken measures to improve screening, and Minister Dutton will continue to assess what we learned from this particular plot, and what other measures we might need to take to ensure the security of the air cargo systems.”
From earlier ...
NEW details have emerged about just how close alleged would-be bombers got to carrying an explosive device aboard an international flight from Sydney, as two men have been charged with terrorism offences.
As the two men prepare to face court, the Daily Telegraph reported an unwitting passenger may have been used to smuggle a bomb on board a plane destined for the Middle East.
The plot to have the device detonated “without [the bomber] knowing they were part of a suicide mission” was aborted.
MORE: Two charged with terrorism offences
On Thursday afternoon, Fairfax reported the device made it as far as Sydney International Airport terminal’s check-in area and that a passenger was “queried about the weight of the luggage at the check-in counter and learnt it was too heavy”.
The report suggests the bag was never checked in.
Neither NSW or Australian Federal Police would comment on the matter when contacted by news.com.au because the investigation is ongoing.
A 50-year-old man, Abdul Merhi, was released from police custody on Tuesday, 1 August, without charge. One man remains in custody and police have seven days in which to conduct inquiries.
Australian intelligence received word last week about an apparent plan to smuggle an explosive onto a flight which led to dramatic raids over the weekend.
Police have remained tight-lipped about their investigations, however they are working with Etihad Airlines, who are assisting with inquiries.
On Tuesday, Abdul Merhi, 50, was released without charge. His lawyer, Moustafa Kheir, said his client felt he was “in a movie” when he heard of the allegations.
“It’s a very serious allegation to have against you,” Mr Kheir said. “It’s just unfathomable that he would be associated with anything like this.”
“He just wants to go back to as normal a life as possible now,” Mr Kheir said.
Police have called for photo identification to be reintroduced for issuing domestic plane tickets and for all airport employees to go through security screening.
The peak body for pilots has also called for greater security. AusALPA president Captain Murray Butt backed calls for all passengers to be required to produce photographic identification as they must in the US.
“We certainly don’t want to alarm the public,” he said in Sydney. “But we want to make sure we’re providing the best service that we can and the safest service that we can.”
Police are still searching properties in Lakemba, Wiley Park, Punchbowl and Surry Hills for evidence.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull addressed the media on Thursday afternoon. He said the alleged plot was foiled but Australians should remain vigilant about the threat of an attack.
“The threat of Islamist terrorism is a global one,” he said.
“As I’ve said many times, nowhere is far away from anywhere else in the age of the internet.
“Our enemies, those terrorists, those Islamist terrorist organisations are global and they are connected.”
He also said there will be fewer delays at Australian airports for travellers after authorities disrupted the aviation terror threat. ASIO has moved to restore the aviation threat level to what it was before the alleged plot to bring down a plane was uncovered.
That means a return to normal check in times for travellers, however plainclothes officers and extra training for cabin crew will remain in place.
While there will be fewer flight delays, Mr Turnbull said it didn’t mean people should become complacent.
“There is no room for complacency,” Mr Turnbull told reporters.
“No room for set-and-forget at all.”
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