UK terror arrest linked to Melbourne raids

A teen arrested in the UK over alleged plans to launch a terror attack on Melbourne is linked to Australian raids over the weekend, police say.

A Broken window from a police raid at a house in Hallam, Melbourne

Victoria Police have defended the handling of counter-terrorism raids in Melbourne. (AAP)

A 14-year-old boy has been arrested in the UK in connection with the Anzac Day alleged terrorist plot in Melbourne.

Two young men remain custody following the pre-dawn raids in Melbourne on Saturday in which five were arrested for allegedly planning a terror attack on Victorian police during Anzac Day events.

On Monday night, Victoria Police said UK authorities uncovered communications between the 14-year-old Lancashire boy and a man in Australia and confirmed a link with the Melbourne raids.

The boy was arrested in Blackburn on Saturday "on suspicion of being concerned in the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism," Greater Manchester Police said in a statement.

He remains in custody.

In Melbourne, Sevdet Besim, 18, remains in custody, charged with conspiring to commit a terrorist act, while another 18-year-old from Hampton Park is being held without charge on an interim preventative detention order.

Victoria's Acting Chief Commissioner Tim Cartwright said the PDO matter will go to court on Tuesday, and if the Hampton Park teen had not been charged, police will seek to extend the order.

"The investigation continues and will continue. The raids Saturday morning were one continuing point of that counter-terrorism investigation," he said.

Besim, from Hallam, will appear in court again on Friday.

Two Narre Warren men, aged 18 and 19, were released pending further inquiries, while another 18-year-old from Narre Warren was released but will be charged on summons with weapons offences.

Mr Cartwright said he has seen complaints from two of the families about the conduct of police during the raids, and the one formal complaint about misconduct will be investigated.

He said he was not surprised there were minor injuries in a high risk operation.

"My understanding was that OC spray was used on at least one of the men and there was resistance there," he told reporters.

There were reports the ringleaders of the plot were in regular contact with IS's top Australian member, Melbourne man Neil Prakash.

However, both the commissioner and Victoria's Islamic Council secretary Kuranda Seyit said they were not aware of any link to Prakash.

Mr Seyit also said the Muslim community was struggling against the "slick campaign" being run by IS to encourage extreme violence.

"Muslim leaders need to be given the tools to get through to these people and we don't presently have a group that can relate to these people," he told Macquarie Radio.

Self-styled Islamic preacher, Junaid Thorne, who has links to IS fighters, has supported the five young men, describing the raids as the "usual nonsense".

Mr Thorne has been regular speaker at the controversial Al-Furqan Centre in Springvale in Melbourne, where the five men also attended.

Along with the five, Mr Thorne was also linked with 18-year-old Numan Haider, who was shot dead in September after stabbing two police officers at a Melbourne police station car park.


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Source: AAP


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