Australian authorities arrested four men they say were connected to a plot that was seeking to bomb an airplane. Police said the plot was “Islamic-inspired” but they didn’t tie it to a specific terrorist group. “In recent days, law enforcement has been become aware of information that suggested some people in Sydney were planning to commit a terrorist attack using an improvised devise,” Australian Federal Police Commissioner Andrew Colvin said. “We are investigating information indicating the aviation industry was potentially a target of that attack.”
The arrests took place after police raided five properties and reportedly found items that could be used to make a homemade bomb. The Australian hears word that the suspects were building a “non-traditional’’ device that would kill everyone on a plane using poisonous gas.
It remains unclear how the alleged attackers planned to get the device on an airplane. Yet officials were sure to highlight that the foiled plot appears to have been more sophisticated than the kind of lone-wolf attacks that Australia has long said are the main threat. Investigators even believe that the level of sophistication means the group may have been directed from abroad, reports the Sydney Morning Herald. The direction may have come from ISIS militants within Syria, according to the Australian’s sources.
This marked the 13th significant threat that police say they have thwarted since Australia raised its threat level in 2014. Five attacks have been carried out. “The primary threat to Australia still remains lone actors, but the events overnight remind us that there is still the ability for people to have sophisticated plots and sophisticated attacks still remain a real threat,” Justice Minister Michael Keenan said. “In light of this information, it’s very important that everyone in Australia remains vigilant.”
