Australia foils terror attacks

2005-11-07 22:44

Sydney - Australian police have foiled a terrorist attack with the arrest of 15 people in Sydney and Melbourne, said police and other reports on Tuesday.

New South Wales police commissioner Ken Moroney said: "I am satisfied we have disrupted what I would regard as the final stages of a terrorist attack or the launch of a terrorist attack in Australia."

Six people had been arrested in Sydney early on Tuesday, he said.

"They're being interviewed by police and my expectation is that those persons variously will appear in Sydney courts this morning."

National ABC radio reported that nine people also were arrested in Melbourne.

The swoop came just days after the government passed an urgent amendment to anti-terrorism laws making it easier for police to prosecute suspects believed to be involved in the early stages of planning attacks.

That prompted speculation that police would move against suspects in Sydney and Melbourne who had reportedly carried out surveillance of targets such as the iconic Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge, and rail stations and the stock exchange in Melbourne.

- AFP