Counter terror authorities carry out raids in Melbourne’s northwest

UPDATE: A RIGHT-wing anti-Islam extremist who was arrested in his underwear at his home in Melbourne’s northwest yesterday claims his arrest is part of a wider conspiracy.

Police arrested Phillip Galea at his house in Braybrook. Picture: Jay Town

A RIGHT-wing anti-Islam extremist who was arrested in his underwear at his home in Melbourne’s northwest yesterday claims his arrest is part of a wider conspiracy.

Phillip Galea, 31, who has been affiliated to anti-immigration movements such as Reclaim Australia and the True Blue Crew, appeared in the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court this morning where he did not apply for bail and was remanded in custody.

But Mr Galea took the opportunity to have a minor rant before more than half-a-dozen reporters who had come to court for his brief appearance.

“I will be fighting these charges. I believe they’re a conspiracy against the patriot movement,” he said.

The court heard Mr Galea had consulted with a lawyer and is expected to apply for bail when his matter returns to court on Tuesday.

The charges come after he was questioned at length at the Australian Federal Police’s Melbourne headquarters.

Mr Galea was arrested by Special Operations Group members at his Ballarat Rd home in Braybrook about 1pm yesterday.

Police arrest Phillip Galea at his house. Picture: Jay Town

Phillip Galea. Picture: Eugene Hyland

Mr Galea was dragged into his front yard in his underwear and later treated by paramedics for a minor injury to his ankle which occurred during his arrest.

Mr Galea attended a June rally in Melbourne’s CBD in which Right and Left-wing groups attacked each other.

Yesterday, warrants were also executed in Bacchus Marsh and the regional town of Tatura, but no other arrests were made.

Counter-Terrorism Command Assistant Commissioner Ross Guenther said the Joint Counter-Terrorism Team (JCTT) had disrupted “something quite serious”.

Terror raid in Braybrook. Picture: Jay Town

A smashed window at a house in Braybrook which was raided by police. Picture: Jay Town

Mr Guenther said the JCTT and its partners had been ­investigating the threat for several months and conducted raids as the situation escalated.

“We were concerned across a period of time that we ­received information that the threat to members of our community was escalating,” he said. “I’m happy to say we’ve interrupted something that was quite serious in terms of harm to our community.

“Earlier this year we ­received information that suggested there were individuals or an individual looking at ­either advocating the commission of harm against Victorian individuals or producing documents or materials that might lead to the causation of harm to members of the Victorian community,’’ he said.

He would not detail the threat being investigated.

“The threat was specific enough to cause us alarm. Whether one person was at risk or several people were at risk — I can’t say at this time.”

The Sunday Herald Sun ­understands there was no threat to a mosque.

Police outside a house in Braybrook where a raid took place. Picture: Jay Town

Police will not rule out more suspects being questioned, but believe their primary concerns were thwarted with the raids.

Mr Guenther said the community should not be concerned about an attack, and confirmed that if charges were laid they would be under Commonwealth anti-terror laws.

Locals said Mr Galea was generally quiet and not known to be a troublemaker — until a police raid had brought him to their attention earlier this year.

Lucy Cuzzupe said he was often seen riding his bike around the suburb or smoking a cigarette at the front of his house, but was otherwise a low-key figure.

“He’s quiet, he keeps to himself,” Ms Cuzzupe said.

“Once I saw him riding his bike in his suit, I thought he might have been going to court ... that was after (the previous raids),” she added.

Masked AFP officers blocked off the footpath outside the house as forensics ­experts continued to search the property.

Originally published as Counter terror authorities carry out raids in Melbourne’s northwest