Brothers trigger jihad warning from Tony Abbott

TONY Abbott issued a warning to would-be foreign fighters after two teenage brothers were stopped at Sydney airport.

CCTV vision shows two teenagers escorted by airport officials.

TONY Abbott has issued a warning to would-be foreign fighters after two teenage brothers were stopped at Sydney airport, with the Prime Minister suggesting they had been heading to the Middle East to join Islamic State.

Immigration Minister Peter Dutton said the actions of Customs officials who detained the boys had possibly saved the lives of the brothers, aged 16 and 17, as well as the lives of Australians at risk of attack from radicalised returnees from the conflict raging in Iraq and Syria.

He said they were found with extremist material and inform­ation on how to concoct a cover story. They were arrested under terrorism-­related amendments introduced in October.

The amendments lowered the arrest threshold to having a suspicion that a suspect was involved in the commission of terrorism offences. The previous threshold had required authorities to hold a belief that the suspect was involved in terrorism.

Mr Abbott pointed to the incident as evidence the “strong border protection policies” of the government were working.

“These were two misguided young Australians; young Australians born and bred, went to school here, grew up here,” he said. “Yet it seemed they had succumbed to the lure of the death cult and were on the verge of doing something terrible and dangerous.

“My message to anyone listening to the death cult is block your ears, don’t even begin to think that you could leave. We will stop you on the border on the way out — if you get out we will stop you at the border on the way back.”

Mr Dutton confirmed the brothers, from southwest Sydney, had return tickets to a destination in the Middle East and had intended to travel without their parents’ knowledge.

They were stopped on Friday after arousing the suspicions of two Customs and Border Protection officers who, after discussions with the two, referred them to counter-terrorism officials.

The Australian Federal Police confirmed a joint counter-terrorism team in Sydney had received a referral from Australian Customs and Border Protection Service in relation to the incident.

“Two juveniles were arrested under suspicion of attempting to prepare for incursions into foreign countries,” said a spokesman. “They were subsequently ... released into their parents’ custody on Friday evening. Investigations in relation to this matter are ongoing.”

Mr Dutton said Islamic State was a cancer across the world and young people were most susceptible to radicalisation by extremists over the internet.

“We are in a new age,” he said. “And if they can influence 16 and 17-year-olds to go to foreign shores, take up arms without the knowledge of their parents, then people have to realise that this is a very serious and increasing threat.”

Joe Hockey said the influence of the “terrorist threat” was “hammering the brains” of young Australians online.

“If we can stop the poison, we can stop young Australians from doing stupid things like trying to go over and fight in the armageddon of war in the Middle East,” the Treasurer said.

Mr Abbott said there were about 400 Australian residents “that our security agencies are looking at because we fear they may be planning to do us harm”.

Up to 150 Australians are estimated to have gone to the Syrian region to take part in the conflict.