Five men charged with foreign incursion offences
This is a joint media release between the Australian Federal Police, Victoria Police and the Queensland Police Service.
The Victorian and Queensland Joint Counter Terrorism Teams (JCTT) can confirm that five Melbourne men arrested in Queensland this week have today been charged with foreign incursion offences.
The men were arrested on Tuesday, 10 May 2016 in relation to suspicion of potential offences against the Commonwealth Criminal Code, specifically those concerning incursions into foreign countries to engage in hostile activities.
The men – aged 31, 21, 25, 28 and 30 – were each charged with one count of:
- making preparations for incursions into foreign countries for the purpose of engaging in hostile activities, contrary to section 119.4 of the Criminal Code (Cth).
The maximum penalty for this offence is life imprisonment.
The men remain in custody and are scheduled to appear in Cairns Magistrates Court on Monday, 16 May 2016.
There is no current or impending threat of a terrorist act to the Australian community arising from this investigation.
The primary focus of the operation has been, and remains, to keep Australians safe.
Police continue to encourage the public to report any suspicious activity they see or hear to the National Security Hotline on 1800 123 400 or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Media enquiries
AFP National Media (02) 6131 6333
Victoria Police Media (03) 9247 5205