Police foil bizarre tinnie terror plan

FIVE men have been arrested over a bizarre plan to join the Islamic State terror group by driving a tinnie to Indonesia.

The group allegedly planned to sail a tinnie from north Queensland to Indonesia before flying to Syria.

FIVE men have been arrested over a bizarre plan to join the Islamic State terror group by sailing a small boat to Indonesia before flying to Syria.

The Australian Federal Police and Queensland Police yesterday arrested five men in relation to an ongoing investigation in the north of Queensland, an AFP spokesman told news.com.au.

According to The Courier-Mail, the would-be jihadists had towed the tiny vessel from Melbourne to north Queensland, but were arrested in Cairns before they could launch their plan.

The group is being questioned by AFP officers in Queensland.

Addressing media in Melbourne, Australian Federal Police assistant commissioner Neil Gaughan confirmed the men had been under investigation for “a number of weeks”.

The group, all men from Melbourne aged between 21 and 33, were “very committed”, authorities say.

“They were in a boat that was seven metres long. “They were committed, obviously very committed,” Mr Gaughan said.

The fact that they’d travelled from Melbourne to far north Queensland “indicates that these people were extremely committed in their adventure and their attempt to leave the country”.

It is believed the men were on law enforcement watch lists and had been under investigation by arresting authorities. The passports of all five had been cancelled.

INTERNATIONAL hate preacher Musa Cerantonio

The AFP has assured there is no impending threat to the community as investigations continue.

The car and boat have been impounded and are undergoing forensic testing, The Courier-Mail reports.

Authorities have not yet confirmed the identities of those arrested.

One is reported to be the notorious Islamic preacher Musa Cerantonio from Melbourne’s western suburbs.

He was previously arrested in the Philippines in 2014 after saying he was en route to Syria, and it considered by authorities to be influential among wannabe foreign fighters.

It has also been reported that Shayden Thorne, the brother of another hard line Islamist preacher, Junaid Thorne, was among the group.

Victoria Police deputy commissioner Shane Patton said there was no threat of a terrorism incident arising from the investigation. Still, he said the alleged plot should not be downplayed.

This is the boat 5 Melbourne men were hoping would get them to Indonesia, to eventually make it to Syria @9NewsMelb pic.twitter.com/VgWBIVzlS9

— Angus Ledwidge (@angusleddo) May 11, 2016

“This is a serious attempt by five men who have had their passports cancelled in attempting to exit Australia ... ultimately we’re investigating the intention to possibly end up in Syria to fight,” he said.

Deputy Commissioner Patton also confirmed eight warrants were executed on Tuesday in Melbourne and one in Queensland in relation to the alleged plot.

Federal Attorney-General George Brandis says the arrests demonstrate the threat to Australians from those engaging in acts of terrorism, including acts of terrorism in foreign countries, “remains real and present”.

“I want to emphasise that the offences on suspicion of which these five men were arrested were not to conduct an act of terrorism on the Australian mainland but to travel, in breach of Australian law, overseas to engage in foreign incursion against the Australian criminal code,” Senator Brandis said.

“Nevertheless, the Australian government takes very seriously, whether it be acts of domestic terrorism or threats to commit acts of domestic terrorism, or attempts by Australians to travel overseas to engage in terrorist war fighting on foreign soil, in this case, as I said before, in Syria.”

The arrest follows the death of IS recruiter Neil Prakash, which was expected to be a blow to Australian recruitment to the terror outfit.

Mr Brandis said last week that Australian Security Intelligence Organisation advised him there were still about 110 Australian foreign fighters in Iraq or Syria. Between 50 and 60 Australians are believed to have been killed fighting with IS.

The mission by the Melbourne men to flee to Syria follows the death of Australian IS recruiter Neil Prakash, who was killed in an air strike earlier this month.

The jihadist’s death was flagged as a significant blow to terror recruitment in Australia, Mr Brandis said.

Authorities say it has become more difficult for young men to flee to Syria to fight as crackdowns continue.