Federal police have charged four men after an 18-month investigation into the sharing of propaganda spread by terrorist group Islamic State.
Three of the men were due to face court on Friday, with the other to appear in July, after a series of raids on Thursday.
Australian Federal Police counterterrorism commander Paula Hudson said the men allegedly shared and received images and videos of previous terrorist attacks and other IS propaganda.
Hudson said they had intervened “to keep our community safe”.
“We know that intervening early helps to ensure individuals are disrupted before they reach the most serious levels of offending and prevent any potential for escalation to violence,” she said in a statement.
“The disruption sends a clear message – the AFP, together with our state, Commonwealth and international law enforcement partners are watching, and we will not tolerate any type of hatred in our community.”
Federal police say they were first alerted to the men’s alleged activity in November 2024, when a teenager from Roxburgh Park returned to Melbourne from Turkey and had his luggage searched during a routine examination by the Australian Border Force at Melbourne Airport.
An AFP spokesperson said this examination uncovered “suspicious content” on the teen’s phone.
They said the same thing happened when another teen from Roxburgh Park returned from Turkey on June 1 last year.
The phones owned by both men were seized for further examination, and the investigation into this footage culminated in AFP officers conducting four search warrants in the Melbourne suburbs of Roxburgh Park, Clyde South and Meadow Heights on Thursday.
As a result of these raids, during which an AFP gun was unintentionally fired, the same two Roxburgh Park men intercepted at the airport – now in their 20s – were arrested, along with two Clyde North men, aged 19 and 29. No one was injured when the gun went off.
All four face up to five years in jail if found guilty of the charge of possessing violent extremist material. The quartet briefly faced court on Thursday. Three returned to court on Friday and one was granted bail to return to court on July 30.
A fifth man, arrested in Meadow Heights, was released pending further inquiries.
In a statement, the AFP said limiting the availability of violent extremist material and educating professionals and parents so they could help with early intervention remained a priority for the organisation.
“If you suspect someone is being radicalised online or in person, call the National Security Hotline on 1800 123 400,” an AFP spokesperson said.
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Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: www.smh.com.au
