Three men will be charged with serious terrorism offences following arson attacks that destroyed an Islamic Centre in Melbourne's northern suburbs.
Police will allege in court that last-year's fire-bombing of the Imam Ali Islamic Centre – a building used by Shiite Muslims – was a sectarian attack that was inspired by Islamic State.
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Trio face terror charges
Three men will be charged with serious terrorism offences following arson attacks on an Islamic Centre in Melbourne's northern suburbs.
Two of the men facing terrorism charges are already in custody over their alleged involvement in a plot to bomb Melbourne's Flinders Street Station, Federation Square and St Paul's Cathedral on Christmas Day 2016.
Hatim Moukhaiber, 29, of Meadow Heights was arrested on Saturday night by members of the Special Operation Group, after his vehicle was pulled over in Roxburgh Park.
The arrests follow an eight-month investigation by the Australian Federal Police, Victoria Police and ASIO.
Australian Federal Police's counter-terrorism Assistant Commissioner Ian McCartney said attacking a place of worship was a serious crime.
"We are not saying these were just arson attacks. What we're going to allege is that these were Islamic State-inspired attacks," Mr McCartney said.
"They were designed to influence and put fear into a particular group in the community.
"These are significant and serious charges and carry a maximum penalty of life imprisonment."
All three men would be charged by members of the Victorian Joint Counter Terrorism Team with engaging in a terrorist act over the arson attack on December 11, 2016, which gutted the centre in Fawkner.
The words "Islamic State" were scrawled in English and Arabic on the building, which had been subject of at least two previous attacks in November and May last year.
The two men on remand over the attacks allegedly planned for Christmas Day, aged 25 and 27, will also be charged with the same offence for causing a previous fire at the centre on November 25 last year.
Victoria Police Assistant Commissioner Ross Guenther blamed the spate of fire-bombings on sectarianism.
"This centre is a Shia centre so what will be alleged is that those who committed this attack adhere to an extremist Sunni ideology that leads us to the conclusion that this is part of an ISIS-influenced or inspired attack," Assistant Commissioner Guenther said.
"As you can imagine, the impact of something like this on the Shia community was significant and interferes with the whole concept of social cohesion," he said.
Assistant Commissioner Guenther said police had ramped up the number of officers patrolling public events over the weekend, following the deadly attacks in Barcelona last week.
The men in remand will face the Melbourne Magistrates Court on Monday morning via video-link, while Mr Moukhaiber appeared in court on Sunday and was refused bail.
When the 27-year-old appeared in court last year over the failed plot to bomb Melbourne's CBD, it was revealed he had gloated about the fear generated by terrorism on Australian soil.
He had boasted on social media: "Now the terror has made its way to ur own homelands ... the fear in your hearts ah the joy".
The man had posted links to Islamic State propaganda since mid-2014.
From a YouTube account registered in his name, he had also made comments about celebrating "the fear in your hearts" from terrorism.