Australian PM: Militants planned attacks on government buildings, officials

Prime Minister Tony Abbott said on Friday that intelligence “chatter” has revealed that militants plan to attack Australian politicians and government buildings, a day after hundreds of police carried out a sweeping counter-terrorism operation and detained 15. Abbott said he had ordered security boosted at Parliament House in Canberra, amid mounting concerns over the possibility of attacks by Australians radicalised in Iraq or Syria.

There is chatter, there has been chatter, amongst these networks, of targeting government people. There is no doubt about that.

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott

More than 800 police were involved in the security operation in Sydney and Brisbane, which authorities said thwarted a plot by militants linked to the Islamic State (IS) group to behead a random member of the public. Officials said that up to 160 Australians have either been involved in fighting in the Middle East or actively supporting it. At least 20 are believed to have returned to Australia and pose a security risk. Highlighting the risk of homegrown militants returning from the Middle East, Abbott has pledged to send a 600-strong force as well as strike aircraft to join a U.S.-led coalition fighting IS militants in Iraq.

Asia-Pacific