MELBOURNE
An Australian Islamic center, which has been linked to two teens charged with planning an attack at a ceremony in Australia commemorating a World War I battle in Turkey, has closed its doors.
A statement posted Thursday on the Al-Furqan Islamic Centre website said that the decision had not been taken lightly.
"We believe that given the constant harassment, pressure and false accusations leveled against the center – particularly by media and politicians – this is the best course of action for the protection of the local community, its members, and the broader Muslim community that is often implicated in these insidious campaigns," it said.
The closure was effective immediately.
In the wake of Saturday's police raids in the Melbourne area, the premier for Victoria state, Daniel Andrews, said that the arrested men were "associates" of Abdul Numan Haider, a Daesh sympathizer who was known to have attended the center.
Haider, who arrived in Australia from Afghanistan around 10 years ago, was shot and killed by police Sept. 23 last year after stabbing anti-terrorism officers outside a Melbourne police station.
On Monday, the center sought to clarify that it had no connection with the raids, saying in another website posting that claims to the contrary were unfounded and misleading.
"As with previous raids, reports of police brutality, heavy-handedness and general mistreatment have already surfaced," it added.
"Australian Muslims are hardly surprised by such accusations anymore as they have become customary of police interactions with many Muslims.
"Also unsurprising is the fact that most of those raided and arrested have not been charged with any crime, again calling into question the need for military tactics against those not accused of criminal wrongdoing.
It added that it sincerely prayed for all those affected, and that their families were granted patience and strength "in this difficult period."
Of the five men arrested by Victoria Police in Saturday's pre-dawn counter-terrorism raids, three have been charged, two with terrorism-related offences.
Police have alleged that two of them were planning a Daesh-inspired attack targeting police officers at one of a series of ANZAC events taking place across Australia this week to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the landings at Canakkale.
ANZAC stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps, many of whom fought in the 1915 Battle of Canakkale -- known as Gallipoli in Australia. The ANZAC legend is central to the Australian identity.
Two of the five have now been released -- one of them lodging an official complaint with police over his treatment.
His mother has told reporters that he was dragged into the kitchen, where they "flogged" him, leaving behind a "pool of blood."
The arrest of a 14-year-old boy in Britain is also understood to be related to the planned attack.
The ABC reported Monday that the plot allegedly involved running a police officer over, killing him with a knife, taking his gun and then embarking on a shooting rampage.
The men were reported to be seeking revenge for the death of fellow teenager Haider.
On Saturday, Melbourne newspaper The Age reported that the Al-Furqan center and bookstore has been linked with Islamic extremism since 2012.
It focused on a Harun Mehicevic, who it called the center’s charismatic and influential "sheikh, who encourages a strict interpretation of Islam."
The report said that Al-Furqan has also been visited by Neil Prakash -- regarded by Australian counter-terrorism authorities as the country's top recruiter for Daesh.
Prakash is reported to have travelled to Syria in early 2013, where he has become the most senior Australian member of Daesh, recruiting young Australians to the group and encouraging them to launch attacks on home soil.
It claimed that Prakash was allegedly in contact with the young men arrested in Melbourne, and had encouraged the ANZAC Day plot.
The Age quoted a man who had been close to Mehicevic and was said to maintain contact with several men who attended Al-Furqan.
He said that in many ways, it was nothing more than a "youth center" -- Mehicevic held games nights and spoke English better than most of the parents of those who went.
Like many of them, he also spoke poor Arabic, he added.
"If you're a mentor for young people, they're going to take it on board. It's what it can lead to, not what he actually says," he said.
"And it's like everything when you're that age: When your parents tell you not to do it, you want to do it more."
Another man told the Age that he wouldn't be surprised if people have left Al-Furqan "because it's not hard enough."
"These people who get involved in this sort of stuff, there's a lot of other factors involved," he added.
