Australian teenager faces court over alleged terrorist plot in Melbourne

A 17-year-old boy accused of plotting a terrorist attack in Melbourne on Saturday has been refused bail after appearing in court on Monday.

He is due to face the Children's Court again on May 26.

The teen was denied bail on Monday by the Children's Court, where the identity of defendants are suppressed because they are under age. But some legal experts have called for the boy's identity to be revealed publicly, and that he be tried in an adult court, despite his age.

David Galbally, QC, told 3AW radio on Monday that the community deserved to know a lot more about accused terrorists, regardless of their age.

"What happens to somebody who is underage: should they be detained in a youth training center? I don't believe so," he said on Monday.

"We're dealing with a different class of criminals ... When a crime of terror is committed, a whole city could be affected."

"If anyone is charged with in terrorism offences, they should be dealt with in an adult court. They should be treated differently to normal criminals because it's more than a crime. The consequences of it are enormous."

The teen, from Melbourne's northern suburbs was arrested on Friday after concerns were raised by Facebook friends after he posted provocative comments to his page.

"If you find a Muslim with a bomb, and report him to the police, you're an apostate," one of the boy's posts read.

Terrorism expert Greg Barton said that the boy had been in contact with possible extremists from other parts of the world in the lead up to his arrest.

"He had been talking to people interstate and overseas online," Barton told Channel 7 on Monday.

Police raided the teen's home late on Friday after intercepting him on his way to a mosque.

Bomb squad officers found at least three improvised explosive devices in the boy's bedroom. Police believe the teen had plans to detonate the pipe bombs at a public event.

"We do believe that the young man intended to explode a device at an event over the coming days," he said on Sunday.

"We will continue our investigations. But at this stage, we have no evidence of a specific time or target."

Media outlets are reporting the Mother's Day Classic fun run was a possible target for the attack.

Despite the threat of terrorist activity, more than 30,000 Victorians attended the fun run held on the Saturday after the police raids.

The Mother's Day classic is a charity event which supports the research of breast cancer in Australia. Endi