Sydney home raided as AFP circles in on Hezbollah flag-bearers
Police have raided a southwest Sydney home as investigators closed in on more than a dozen people suspected of brandishing terrorist group Hezbollah’s flag.
Federal police have raided a southwest Sydney home as investigators closed in on dozens of people suspected of waving Hezbollah flags during rallies earlier this year in NSW and Victoria.
It comes after a Melbourne man was charged last week for allegedly displaying the terror group’s flag, and as the Victorian government prepares to roll out stronger state provisions totally outlawing terrorist symbols.
The Australian Federal Police on Tuesday executed a search warrant at a southwest Sydney home understood to belong to a woman who allegedly waved a Hezbollah flag at a the September 24 rally outside Sydney’s Town Hall. The Australian understands police could soon make an arrest.
The rally was followed by a larger demonstration a few days later, where one woman has already been charged for the same alleged offence.
An AFP spokesman would not elaborate on the raid by the Joint Counter Terrorism Team but said there was “no threat” to public safety and “further details” would be provided at an “appropriate time”.
In Victoria, the AFP-led Operation Ardvarna is investigating 13 people in relation to displaying Hezbollah flags pertaining to the September rallies, sparked after the killing of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah.
Investigators have executed multiple search warrants, questioned at least three people, and seized Hezbollah-branded clothing, flags and mobile phones.
The mere display of a terrorist symbol in itself is not a breach of commonwealth criminal provisions, and before laying any charges investigators must show that the display meets specific elements of the code.
These include – but are not limited to – that the display of the terror symbol was to spread or advocate racial hatred, incite others to offend or intimidate, or to intimidate a person or group based on their race or nationality.
Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan on Tuesday announced a suite of reforms to clamp down on protests targeting places of worship or that vilify a specific community and announced the state’s criminal code would adopt laws banning terror symbols.
The provision would go further than what is enclosed in the commonwealth code, with Ms Allan announcing the state would ban “full stop” the use of the symbol without the requirement to prove any further elements
It would also give state police “stronger powers” to stop, search and seize. It is unlikely the new provisions will be retrospective, and therefore will not capture the waving of Hezbollah flags in September.
The AFP expect further charges to be laid in NSW under Operation Ardvarna.
Officers charged a Melbourne man for allegedly brandishing a Hezbollah flag during what turned into a pro-Nasrallah Melbourne rally on September 29. He was charged with displaying a terrorist group’s symbol in a public place, which – if found guilty – carries a maximum penalty of a 12-month custodial sentence.
Sydney woman Sarah Mouhanna, 19, was charged in October with the same offence but has pleaded not guilty.
AFP Counter Terrorism Commander Nick Read said Operation Advarna had clocked more than 1100 hours of work, including reviewing more than 100 hours of video footage. “The AFP has been relentlessly pursuing evidence and gathering intelligence to ensure those accused of displaying prohibited symbols can face justice,’’ he said on Saturday.
In NSW, state police have recently increased resources to its Operation Shelter, which covers protest activity and community safety. It comes after a spate of anti-Semitic vandalism in Sydney’s east. NSW Police Minister Yasmin Catley welcomed efforts to arrest those allegedly showing support to terror groups.
“There is no place for support for a terrorist organisation ... We do not want to see division and conflict from around the world played out on our streets,” she said, adding NSW police were “working tirelessly” to ensure community safety. “Additional police have been tasked with high-visibility patrols and community engagement.”
Coalition home affairs spokesman James Paterson, backed the AFP to track down alleged Hezbollah flag bearers, but lamented how the government had been too slow to “realise how serious anti-Semitism” had become.
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