Police in New South Wales say counter-terrorism officers have arrested a Sydney teenager suspected of planning a terror attack.
It's said to be the ninth apparently imminent attack prevented by police in the past 18 months.
New South Wales Police say the 18-year-old from the Sydney suburb of Macquarie Park was arrested in a joint operation involving Federal and state officers.
They say they are in the process of charging the teenager with two offences - the first of which accuses him of planning a potential terror attack.
Australian Federal Police assistant commissioner Neil Gaughan says the second involves alleged preparation for a foreign incursion.
"We'll be alleging that he attended at Sydney Airport in February, attempted to leave the country. His passport had been cancelled and, therefore, he was prevented from leaving. Therefore, there's sufficient evidence in our view to charge him with that offence also."
Authorities allege the unidentified man was then searching for possible places in Sydney to commit what they say was intended to be an imminent attack.
Asked about potential locations, police say the sites usually targeted are institutions of authority.
They believe he was acting alone, and was also preparing to procure a firearm.
NSW Deputy Police Commissioner Catherine Burn says he was previously known to police.
She says the decision to detain him is part of what's more broadly known as a disruption strategy.
"Instead of waiting until we are completely satisfied that we have enough evidence before the court, we might take another strategy which is a disruption strategy. We are fortunate to have legislation and laws that enable us to do that because the charge is preparing for and planning to do an act - we don't have to wait until the act is undertaken. And the disruption is to make sure that act isn't undertaken because we've got to make sure that community safety is right."
Federal Attorney General George Brandis says the case is the ninth time counter-terrorism police have prevented an attack in Australia since the national terror threat level was lifted two years ago.
"The fact that on nine occasions since September 2014 they have successfully intervened to prevent imminent terror strikes - imminent and lethal terror strikes - on the Australian mainland is the clearest proof of the immediacy and seriousness of this problem. The fact that there have been nine successful interventions - in all cases assisted by intelligence and security - should also give the Australian people confidence that our agencies have the resources, the capabilities, supported by the strong laws this government has passed, to keep Australians safe."
The Attorney General also confirmed the Sydney arrest was unrelated to search warrants executed in Melbourne.
Victoria Police say the raids were linked to the cases of five men accused of planning to leave Australia by boat to travel to Indonesia, and then on to join the conflict in Syria.
The men were taken into police custody in Cairns, and have been charged with preparing for incursions into foreign countries to engage in hostile activities.
The group, originally from Melbourne, is being extradited from Queensland to Victoria.
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