MELBOURNE, Australia
Police in Australia have charged a third 18-year-old in relation to an alleged planned attack at a ceremony in Australia commemorating a World War I battle in Turkey.
The Sydney Morning Herald reported Tuesday that a Victoria man -- who was being held following Saturday's raids in the greater Melbourne area -- has been charged with conspiracy to commit acts done in preparation for, or planning, terrorist acts.
On Saturday, police charged Sevdet Ramdan Besim with conspiring to commit an act of terror, while another man was arrested and charged with prohibited weapons offenses.
The unnamed teen charged today will face Melbourne Magistrates Court later Tuesday, the second man has been granted bail and will face court at a later date, while Besim is due to face court again Friday.
The arrest of a 14-year-old boy in Britain is also understood to be related to the planned attack.
Detective Chief Superintendent Tony Mole, from Britain's North West Counter Terrorism Unit, said Monday that British police had uncovered communication between the teenager and a man in Australia about "what we believe is a credible terrorist threat" resulting in the boy's arrest.
Police have alleged that two of the men were planning a Daesh-inspired attack targeting police officers at a Melbourne ANZAC Day event.
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.
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 Herald said that the teens are believed to have had close links to 23-year-old Australian Neil Prakash -- regarded by Australian counter-terrorism authorities as the country's top recruiter for Daesh.
They are also believed to have planned to seek revenge for the death of fellow teenager Numan Haider, who was shot dead in Melbourne last September after stabbing two police officers.
On Saturday, five men were arrested in pre-dawn counter-terrorism raids. A further unnamed 18-year-old has been released pending further inquiries, while Eathan Cruse, 19, was released without charge later that afternoon.
He has since lodged an official complaint with police over his treatment during the raids.
His mother has told media that he was dragged into the kitchen, where they "flogged" him, leaving behind a "pool of blood."
Prime Minister Tony Abbott said in a statement Saturday that following a series of raids in metropolitan Melbourne, five people had been arrested.
"We are expecting three to be charged. Two will be charged with preparing a terrorist act. The act that we believe was in preparation involved attacks against police officers on ANZAC Day," he said.
He added that authorities believed the "potential attack was inspired by the Daesh death cult in the Middle East."
A series of events are taking place across Australia this week to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the landings at Canakkale.
Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews said that security would be boosted at the April 25 dawn service and march, while Abbott urged those thinking of attending ANZAC Day events not to be deterred.
"Turn up in the largest possible numbers to support our country, to support our values and to support our armed forces," he said.
"The best sign of defiance that we can give to those who would do us harm is to go about a normal, peaceful, free and fair Australian life."
Abbott underlined that there would be a strong police presence at all major public events over the ANZAC period and there had been "the closest possible liaison and the closest possible cooperation between Australia and Turkey in the lead up to the event."
"There will be a very strong security presence on the Gallipoli peninsula. My advice is that almost 4,000 Turkish police and security personnel will be deployed," he added.
According to Abbott, around 100 Australians are fighting with "terrorist groups" in the Middle East, particularly Daesh.
"We've got about 150 Australians who are supporting those people through recruiting and fundraising... We've had about 30 Australians killed fighting with these various terrorist groups in the Middle East and we've had about 100 passports cancelled," he said.
"This is a serious issue," he underlined.
