A terror charge against a Melbourne teen accused of plotting an Islamic State-inspired attack on police has been dropped.
Australian Federal Police formally withdrew the charge against an 18-year-old man of Hampton Park, who was arrested in April in anti-terror raids along with a co-accused 18-year-old of Hallam.
The man appeared in the Melbourne Magistrates Court on Tuesday where he pleaded guilty to three summary charges, laid on Monday, in relation to knives and a knuckle duster found in his possession.
Before the court appearance, Premier Daniel Andrews was asked by journalists in Melbourne if dropping the charges meant police had mishandled the case.
"They're very tough calls, some people will support them, some people won't, but I support them because they're doing everything they can to keep all of us safe," Premier Daniel Andrews told reporters on Tuesday.
The threat of terrorism in Victoria is real, Mr Andrews says.
"We face an unprecedented threat and it's being taken seriously by all of our law enforcement agencies," he said.
Victoria Police and the country's security and intelligence agencies have a difficult job but they exercise good judgment, he says.
"When you're in the heat of it, when you've got to make a really difficult choice about what's important to keep the community safe, that's a very different set of issues," Mr Andrews said.
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