A man has been charged with terrorism-related offences after he was arrested in an Australian Federal Police raid in the NSW town of Young on Tuesday.
Haisem Zahab, 42, an Australian-born electrician, allegedly attempted to research and design a laser warning device and missiles for Islamic State over the internet.
More Videos
- Video duration
- 01:22
Kane masterclass sends Tottenham second
Kane masterclass sends Tottenham second
A first half hat-trick from Harry Kane enough to see off Stoke
Up Next
Finding the perfect travel pillow
- Video duration
- 01:51
- Video duration
- 01:51
Finding the perfect travel pillow
Finding the perfect travel pillow
It's the holy grail for long-haul travellers, so have we finally found the perfect travel pillow?
Up Next
Goal line technology catches PSV keeper out
- Video duration
- 00:41
- Video duration
- 00:41
Goal line technology catches PSV keeper ...
Goal line technology catches PSV keeper out
Aussie keeper Brad Jones' Feyenoord beat PSV Eindhoven thanks to the tightest of decisions as a bizarre blunder led to the use of goal line technology.
Up Next
Trailer: Alien - Covenant
- Video duration
- 02:14
- Video duration
- 02:14
Trailer: Alien - Covenant
Trailer: Alien - Covenant
The crew of the colony ship Covenant, bound for a remote planet on the far side of the galaxy, discovers what they think is an uncharted paradise, but is actually a dark, dangerous world.
Up Next
New law opens doors for donor-conceived
- Video duration
- 01:42
- Video duration
- 01:42
New law opens doors for donor-conceived
New law opens doors for donor-conceived
The Assisted Reproductive Treatment Amendment bill 2015 passed in the Legislative Council of the Victorian Parliament which will give all donor-conceived Victorians the ability to access identifying information about their donors and heritage from 1 March 2017, without donor consent.
Up Next
West Australians keen on real life Mario Kart
- Video duration
- 00:38
- Video duration
- 00:38
West Australians keen on real life Mario ...
West Australians keen on real life Mario Kart
A growing number of West Aussies have caught onto the latest craze sweeping Japan, where people dress up in Super Mario outfits and drive go-karts around the busy streets of Tokyo.
Up Next
Bellamyâs pricing a âshemozzleâ
- Video duration
- 01:10
- Video duration
- 01:10
Bellamyâs pricing a âshemozzleâ
Bellamyâs pricing a âshemozzleâ
At Bellamyâs EGM, shareholder Jan Cameron blames a sudden price increase in November 2015 for the companyâs downfall.
High-tech terror plot foiled
Malcolm Turnbull reveals a man has been arrested in rural New South Wales, accused of attempting to supply ISIS with missile technology.
He did not apply for bail when he appeared before Young Local Court on Tuesday afternoon, and it was formally refused. He will face court in Parramatta on March 8.
AFP Commissioner Andrew Colvin said Mr Zahab was charged with a number of offences, including two "serious" foreign incursion offences which carry a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.
"With these offences, we will allege that he has utilised the internet to perform services for ISIL, activities in the Syria and Iraq conflict, from Australia in the following ways," Mr Colvin said.
"Firstly, by researching and designing a laser warning device to help warn against incoming guided munitions used by coalition forces in Syria and Iraq. And secondly, we will also allege that he has been researching, designing and modelling systems to assist ISIL's efforts to develop their own long-range guided missile capabilities."
Mr Colvin said the alleged advice given by the "technically-trained" man was "fairly sophisticated and well-planned".
"We will be alleging that the material that he was intending to provide to ISIL, the research he was doing, was credible," he said.
Mr Zahab was charged under section 119.1 of the Commonwealth Criminal Code, which deals with foreign incursions.
Dozens of officers descended on his semi-rural property in Cherry Vale Place early on Tuesday morning and executed search warrants before he was arrested.
The search was part of the long-running Operation Marsburg, an investigation by the AFP's Canberra-based counter terrorism team. It is alleged Mr Zahab acted alone, and no further arrests are expected.
Some officers were seen to use metal detectors to search the ground at his home, while a NSW Police officer from the dog squad stood nearby.
The electrician divided his time between Young and Sydney, where it is understood he had a solar panel installation business in the past.
One local business owner said Mr Zahab tried to set up a similar business in Young when he first arrived.
"He said he just moved here because he did alright with the business in Sydney," the business owner said.
"But one minute you saw him and the next he wasn't doing the installations at all."
Business records show the 42-year-old was the director of company Switch2Green, based in the Sydney suburb of Yagoona, before it was de-registered in 2013.
The AFP has arrested a man in NSW in relation to alleged terrorism offences. More details soon. #auspol @AFPmedia
— Michael Keenan MP (@MichaelKeenanMP) February 28, 2017
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said the arrest of Mr Zahab highlighted a need for Australians to remain vigilant.
"This highlights that terrorism, support for terrorist groups, and Islamist extremism is not limited to our major cities," he told a briefing at Parliament House in Canberra.
"This is yet another example of the excellent work the men and women of the Australian Federal Police and all our security agencies are doing in identifying and disrupting alleged assistance to ISIL."
https://t.co/KR6KDb4RzJ pic.twitter.com/mYrIB219GB
— Bec Hewson (@bec_hewson) February 28, 2017
Justice Minister Michael Keenan said Tuesday's raid, carried out by NSW Police in conjunction with the AFP, came after a year and a half of investigation.
"The arrest today is the result of an 18-month-long operation and it reminds us that whether you are in a capital city planning an attack on home soil or whether you are in a small country town, trying to assist the terrorist state in the Middle East, you will get caught," he said.