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Aussie man arrested in counterterrorism raids in Melbourne

Xinhua, May 27, 2016 Adjust font size:

Australian police on Friday arrested a 25-year-old Melbourne man on counter-terrorism charges, after yet another police raid was conducted in Melbourne's north.

The man, yet to be named by authorities, has since been charged on suspicion of terrorism, namely that he was at risk of leaving Australia to fight with Islamic State (IS) in the Middle East.

The man has been taken into custody and has since been scheduled to appear in the Melbourne Magistrates Court later on Friday.

A spokesperson for the Australian Federal Police (AFP) said the raids were not planned due to an immediate threat to Australia, but instead they were linked to the arrest of five men attempting to leave Australia for Syria earlier this month.

"This activity is not related to a current or impending threat to the community," the spokesperson said.

Earlier in May, five Australians dubbed the "tinnie terrorists" were intercepted on Australia's north coast, after a plot to sail to Indonesia before flying to Syria was uncovered and stopped by Australian police.

High-up preacher Musa Cerantonio, as well as Shayden Thorne, Paul Dacre, Antonio Granata and Kadir Kaya, was arrested in Queensland and last week extradited to Melbourne. The men are due to face court in September. Endit