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Morrison downplays Anzac Day terror arrest

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has downplayed any link between a plot to disrupt Anzac Day services in Gallipoli and the arrest of an Islamic State member.

A man has been arrested in Turkey over an alleged plan to attack Gallipoli Anzac Day services.
A man has been arrested in Turkey over an alleged plan to attack Gallipoli Anzac Day services. Source: AAP

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has played down the arrest of a suspected Islamic State member in Turkey and his links to a potential plot to disrupt Anzac Day services at Gallipoli.

A man - who was believed to be planning a terror attack - was arrested in the Turkish province of Tekirdag, three hours from the Gallipoli peninsula, ahead of a dawn service there on Thursday.

"This is more of a routine thing that we've seen happen with Turkish authorities and we could not say at all that there is any link between that arrest and any planned event at Gallipoli," Mr Morrison told reporters in Townsville.

"I would caution overstating any link between those two events."

Mr Morrison said the government had received reports suggesting any link between the arrest and the service was inconclusive.

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The prime minister said normal security arrangements were in place and the services would go ahead as normal.

The man has been named in Turkish media as Syrian national Abdulkarim Hilef, aged 25.

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten, who is seeking security briefings on the arrest, said the situation should not deter Australians from attending Anzac Day services overseas.

"Just because there are terrorists in the world, we can't let them win by discouraging us from travelling," he told reporters in Darwin.

"Anzac Day is a sacred day. We can't afford to let these extremists discourage us."

He said the "marvellous" tradition of Australians, particularly young people, travelling to former World War I battlefields abroad should be maintained.

Veterans' Affairs Minister Darren Chester said Australia was maintaining its travel advice urging people to exercise a high level of caution in Turkey.

"We take the security provisions obviously very seriously and we work closely with the local Turkish authorities," he told ABC Radio National.

Turkish nationals were banned from attending the dawn service at Gallipoli, which will be attended by Australia's Chief of the Defence Force Angus Campbell, due to heightened security fears.

"It's not unprecedented that Turkish nationals, local citizens are discouraged from attending the service - that's occurred previously," Mr Chester said.

Earlier, Australian War Memorial director Brendan Nelson praised Turkish authorities for going to extraordinary lengths to secure Anzac services at Gallipoli as he responded to reports of the arrest.

"It's a reflection of the fact that we do have some people who have heinous motives," he told reporters in Canberra.

"Unfortunately we live in a world where there are people - wherever they live, whatever their background, whatever their beliefs - who are fundamentalists intent on disrupting what we do.

"The most important thing we can do is go about living our lives."


3 min read

Published

Source: AAP


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