WORLD: Seven people were planning an attack with explosives, authorities said …
They wanted to make a carnage for Christmas. Australian police said Friday they had foiled a “terrorist plot” “inspired by” Daesh who planned several attacks on Christmas Day in central Melbourne, arresting seven people during a series of raids.
Victoria Police would like to reassure the community that the threat has been contained. Details → https://t.co/n7IYjtFnbp #VicPoliceNews pic.twitter.com/vAtVdneX2a
— Victoria Police (@VictoriaPolice) December 22, 2016
The police chief of the State of Victoria, Graham Ashton, said that those arrested were planning to attack the emblematic places of the capital, such as the Station, Federation Square and St. Paul’s Cathedral.
Young people from twenty years
“These last two weeks (…), we had to conduct a criminal investigation of the formation of what we believe to have been a terrorist plot,” said Graham Ashton told reporters. “We believe that there was intention to carry out an attack with multiple modes, probably on Christmas Day. The attack (…) was to include an explosion, the use of explosives and we have evidence to support it, “he said.
Of the seven people arrested, five remain incarcerated. Of those five suspects, four were born in Australia, from Lebanon, and the fifth is an Australian citizen born Egyptian. All are aged twenty years. “We see that they are certainly self-radicalized, but inspired by (the group) Islamic State and propaganda” Daesh, concluded Graham Ashton.
