Big News : - Three Turks arrested for planning terrorist attacks in Australia

**catgeorge** · 11-19-2018, 09:47 PM

All over the news here in Melbourne.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-11-...ourne/10513328

Three men arrested on suspicion of plotting a terror attack in Melbourne had tried to source a semi-automatic rifle to kill as many people as possible in a crowded space, police have alleged.

The men, who are aged between 21 and 30, are from the city's northern suburbs, and Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton said police had been monitoring the men since March.

He said the men were inspired by the Islamic State terror group and were arrested in counterterrorism raids this morning.

Police feared their intentions of carrying out a mass killing "escalated" this week.

Mr Ashton said the men had not decided on a specific location for the attack.

"There was a view towards a crowded place where maximum people would be attending to be able to kill, we allege, a maximum amount of people as possible," he said.

The raids were conducted by officers from Victoria Police, the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and ASIO.

Mr Ashton declined to name the men, but said all three were Australian nationals whose passports were cancelled this year.

One of the men's passports was cancelled in January, another in March and the third last month, he said.

"All three people are Australian nationals of Turkish background," Mr Ashton said.v