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Man linked to Vic rally had bomb manual

A man who allegedly intended to attend a Reclaim Australia rally in Melbourne's outskirts with weapons has been refused bail.

The United Patriots Front during a Reclaim Australia rally
A man has been arrested for allegedly planning to take weapons to a Melbourne anti-Muslim rally. (AAP)

Police have found a copy of bomb-making manual The Anarchist Cookbook at the home of a United Patriots Front member after a tip-off some people were going to take weapons to an anti-mosque rally in Melbourne.

Braybook man Phillip Galea, 31, faced an out-of-sessions hearing on Thursday night over one charge of possessing a prohibited weapon and one count of possessing a prescribed chemical.

He was arrested in the morning after police received information that some people were intending to take weapons for "self-defence" to the Reclaim Australia rally in Melton on Sunday.

The anti-Islam group are protesting plans to build a mosque on Melbourne's outskirts.

During a search of Galea's home, the arson and explosives squad found five Tasers and a jar containing a small amount of mercury, as well as an electronic copy of a bomb-making manual, police say.

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A barefoot Galea admitted possessing a copy of The Anarchist Cookbook.

"Pretty much most people my age would have a copy of the Anarchist Handbook (sic), it's well circulated," he told the bail justice.

"I have no intention of harming anyone."

Galea has been refused bail and will appear before court on Friday.

Reclaim Australia had pledged a peaceful protest in Melton, which moved from the CBD after police raised concerns about staging it on Victorian parliament's steps.

The group's spokesman John Bolton said up to 1000 people who were concerned about "the development of Islamic enclaves" in Australia would be at the rally.

Mr Bolton said the rally site was near an Islamic school and a site for a new mosque.

He is concerned the area could become like "Islamic ghettos in Paris".

Victoria Police have issued a warning to right and left-wing extremist groups and are monitoring people from both sides after reports of a counter-rally emerged.

"I don't try and differentiate between sides, and unfortunately we've got two extremes in Victoria that are prepared to use violence to see their point of view," he told reporters on Thursday.


2 min read

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Source: AAP



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