Sydney terror raids: Man released without charge, lawyer says arrest 'caused damage'

A Sydney man arrested during police raids on Saturday and then released without charge is shocked to have been associated with the ordeal, his lawyer says.

Abdul Merhi, 50, was one of four men taken into custody on Saturday when five Sydney properties were raided by NSW and federal police.

Authorities became aware of an alleged plot to "bring down" a plane using a home-made device and detained the men without charge under terror legislation.

Mr Merhi was released about 7pm Tuesday and his solicitor, Moustafa Kheir, said he endured days of intense questioning.

"It's a very serious allegation to have against you," he told AAP on Wednesday.
"There's a lot of stress associated there, and not knowing, and he was shocked that he was being questioned.

"It's just unfathomable that he would be associated with anything like this."

Mr Merhi's family was also in shock and his life had been "turned upside down", Mr Kheir added.

"He just wants to go back to as normal life as possible now."

Mr Kheir said he would review the actions of police.

"A lot of information was divulged, including his identity," he said.

"That's caused a lot of damage to him. We want to review all the information police had and what basis they had to do what they did."

The three other men can be detained until Sunday evening under the terror legislation.

Federal police have spent days rifling through several properties across Sydney following the weekend raids in Surry Hills, Wiley Park, Lakemba and Punchbowl.

The other three men remain in custody under special powers which allow police to hold them for up to a week.

"This investigation remains ongoing, and further information will be provided at an appropriate time," a joint statement from the AFP and NSW Police said on Wednesday.
The alarming plot is reported to have allegedly involved an improvised device and the target was a plane, with one theory suggesting the would-be terrorists planned to use a meat grinder to conceal their home-made device.

Meanwhile, Etihad Airways on Tuesday confirmed it was helping Australian authorities with the investigation amid reports the arrests were made after a tip-off from foreign intelligence services.

News agency Reuters cited a US official as saying the plot was "fairly well along".

Police have until Sunday to charge the men before they are released, however, it's understood detectives might be able to apply for further detention provisions.
Huge queues at Sydney Airports T2 Domestic Terminal as passengers are subjected to increased security, Sydney, Australia, Monday, July 31, 2017. (AAP)
Huge queues at Sydney Airports T2 Domestic Terminal as passengers are subjected to increased security, Sydney, Australia, Monday, July 31, 2017. (AAP) Source: AAP

Share
3 min read

Published

Updated

Source: AAP

Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world