Terror accused 'too dangerous' for bail

A magistrate says a Melbourne teenager charged with conspiring to commit an act of terror is mentally ill at best and radicalised at worst.

A court sketch of Harun Causevic

A Victorian court is set to decide whether a terror-accused teenager will be released on bail. (AAP)

A Melbourne teen accused of plotting an Islamic State-styled beheading of a Victorian police officer remains behind bars after a magistrate declared him too dangerous to be released on bail.

Melbourne Magistrate Suzie Cameron said Harun Causevic, 18, was at best mentally unwell and at worst radicalised and posed an unacceptable risk to the public because of his involvement in the alleged Anzac Day terror plot.

Causevic and co-accused Sevdet Ramden Besim, 18, of Hallam, are charged with conspiring to commit an act of terror, which carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.

The pair are alleged to have been behind a plot to run down and behead a police officer, then steal his weapon for use in a violent rampage.

During his bail application, lawyers for Causevic made 10 submissions to Ms Cameron that they said constituted the exceptional circumstances required to grant the Hampton Park man's release.

These included his lack of prior offences, his youth, access to a deradicalisation program and the fact many of the allegations by police related to his co-accused, Besim.

According to court documents, Besim allegedly received coaching on executing a terror attack from a 14-year-old in Britain and said he thought "a combo of knife and car" should be used in an Australian attack.

Lawyers for Causevic told the court there was no evidence their client was privy to these discussions, but there was evidence Besim had agreed to act as a "lone wolf".

However, Ms Cameron said it was open for a co-accused to have different roles in a conspiracy.

She said Causevic, who allegedly had access to weapons and contact details of IS members, had advanced beyond the early stage in his thinking and there was no evidence he was committed to completing the deradicalising program.

"At worst he's been radicalised, at best he's psychiatrically or psychologically unwell," Ms Cameron said.

The court previously heard Causevic had been conducting surveillance on police officers and the Shrine of Remembrance, and had became erratic.

He told a person after a car accident, "Australia is s*** and ISIS is going to kill this country", the court heard.

Ms Cameron said on Friday Causevic posed an extremely dangerous risk to public safety and denied bail.

She said the alleged offences involved planning a "murderous attack" on police and she was satisfied Causevic was part of a continuing agreement with Besim.

Speaking outside court, Causevic's father Vehid said the allegations against his son were a lie, political and a set-up by the government.

"It is everything set up from government, prime minister," Mr Causevic told reporters.

"This is (sic) clear message from prime minister here to every young Muslim who going five times a day in mosque will be charged like terrorism.

"My son doesn't understand Islam, but he doesn't do nothing (sic)," Mr Causevic said.

The men will return to court in August for a filing hearing.


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Source: AAP


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