Melbourne New Year’s Eve terror plot suspect Ali Ali faces court

A Melbourne man accused of planning to kill New Year’s Eve revellers at Federation Square has faced court.

A Melbourne man accused of planning to kill New Year’s Eve revellers at Federation Square has faced court.

Named as Ali Ali, the 20-year old made a brief appearance in the Melbourne Magistrates Court this afternoon after he was charged with doing acts in preparation to commit a terrorist attack and collecting documents to facilitate a terrorist act.

Mr Ali did not speak as plans were made for his lawyers to receive the brief of evidence in January next year ahead of a March committal mention, and did not flag an intention to apply for bail.

Charge sheets confirm Mr Ali’s full name is Ali Khalif Shire Ali.

He is accused of preparing or planning a terrorist act between 31 March and 6 April this year and with intentionally collecting a document in preparation for a terrorist act around 27 June this year.

Magistrate Simon Zebrowski said he would alert corrections officers that Mr Ali was “vulnerable due to age and appearance”, and that it was his first time in custody.

No family or friends appeared in court to support Mr Ali, who wore the same checked shirt and jeans that he was arrested in yesterday afternoon.

His father has spoken today to protest his son’s innocence.

The Muslim man from Werribee in Melbourne’s western suburbs was arrested at 3pm yesterday after a secret operation by the police Special Operations Group.

Police allege he was trying to get a gun and kill “as many people as he could”.

He allegedly displayed sympathies for the Islamic State terrorist organisation.

Outside the house which the man shared with his parents and siblings, his father told The Australian that he was shocked by the allegations.

“He (my son) is very innocent,” the father said. “If you knew that man, you don’t believe it.”

New Year’s Eve revellers at Federation Square in 2013.

The man was arrested after a long period of surveillance codenamed Operation San Jose, in a combined effort by Victoria Police, Australian Federal Police and the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation.

Victoria Police deputy commissioner Shane Patton said the man — who was born in Australia to Somalian parents — had shown evidence of growing radicalisation, becoming “energised” when overseas terrorist attacks occurred.

“The male is one of our high-risk persons of interest we have been monitoring for a very lengthy period of time,” Mr Patton said.

“The allegations are that he was planning to commit a terrorist act and that he attempted to obtain a gun to do so.

“What we will be alleging is he was intending to use a firearm to shoot and kill as many people as he could in the Federation Square area on New Year’s Eve.

Mr Patton said the man had not accessed a gun at any stage, but had face-to-face meetings as he tried to obtain an automatic weapon.

Mr Patton would not reveal if these meetings were with an undercover police officer, but said he had been on the police radar since early this year.

“The arrest means that this threat has been removed,” he said, urging Victorians to continue with their plans for the Christmas/ New Year season.

“We’re quite confident that there is no risk or no threat to the Victorian community now that we have removed him from society.”

The man’s home is still being searched today, with police also investigating if his work with computers at an address in Footscray was related to his alleged terrorist plans.

Jessica Karasmanis saw the man being arrested by police as she drove down Synnot St in Werribee yesterday afternoon.

She described seeing at least three cars with up to ten officers involved in what appeared to be a quiet arrest, with the apprehended man wearing a cable tie around his hands

“They had someone on the ground,” she said. “They stood him up and put him on the side of the building.

“It seemed pretty calm.

“I was like ‘oh my God.’”

The arrest on the corner of Synnot and Bridge st Werribee. Picture: Jessica Karasmani.

Ms Karasmanis took a photo from her car which shows six officers surrounding the suspect, with four of the officers wearing heavy tactical helmets and vests.

The man’s next door neighbour, who asked not to be identified, said he came from a “beautiful family” which had never caused trouble in the street or prompted police attendance previously.

She said the man’s father had apologised for the police presence earlier today and

said he didn’t know what was going on.

“I feel sorry for him (the father),” she told The Australian.

“I can’t understand it and I think he can’t understand it.”

The neighbour said she had arrived home after picking up her children from school yesterday afternoon to find about eight police cars in the street.

“You never think it will happen next door to you, it was quite frightening to come home from school pick-up,” she said.

Another neighbour Connie Leone said it was frightening to have a suspected terrorist living in the street.

“They just looked like a normal family, very quiet, very respectable” she said.

“You just don’t know anymore.”

Mr Patton said police would allege the man had obtained an al-Qaeda document instructing how to use a firearm, though he showed allegiance to IS.

He said the man had connections to other extremists, but declined to say if these people were in custody.

Terror suspect’s boss shocked by arrest

The owner of the small computer repair shop in Footscray raided by federal police yesterday says he was “absolutely shocked” to learn last night one of his employees had been arrested for allegedly planning a terror plot.

Warsame Hassan from Wix Computer Repair & Services said he gave the young man a casual job at the business at the request of his father, who wanted his son to get some work experience before he started studying a computer degree next year.

“I know very well his Dad, he came to me and said could you give some experience for him over the summer. Next year he is going to do some study in (computer) hardware or software or something like that. I said OK, you come in here.”

He said the young man had some experience working with iPhones so he would help repair them and replace the screens.

He said the Somalian community was “very sad” to know he had been arrested.

“He was a quiet guy. He was just a casual. He just came in to learn something,” said Mr Hassan. “I know his Dad, we live in the same place in Werribee, that’s how I know the family. They are absolutely lovely.”

He said around seven or eight AFP officers searched the business yesterday afternoon, and took a computer away with them.

“Yesterday around 2pm or 2.50pm, they came, the AFP, and they just say, ‘We are police’. Everywhere. They closed the shop, nobody could come in. Then they asked me, do you know this man? And I said yes, I know him,” he said. “It was a shock, I lose a lot of customers.”

With Simone Fox Koob