Terror blitz as Grand Final looms

Police will be on high alert today at the MCG. Source: News Corp Australia
AS THE countdown draws closer for this afternoon’s AFL Grand Final between the Sydney Swans and Hawthorne, police have launched an unprecedented anti-terrorism blitz.
The move saw police order Metro to remove bins from train stations and for rail staff to be on the lookout for suspicious bags and behaviour, The Herald Sun reported.
Police and security will also be on high alert as more than 100,000 fans flock to the MCG for the match in what will be the first big demonstration of the country’s new security measures.
Cars will also be searched and CCTV will be closely monitored before and during the match, Sky News reported.
More than double the amount of officers will be patrolling this years Grand Final, however, Victoria Police deputy commissioner Tim Cartwright said there are no specific threats identified to any major Victorian events but rather police have arrangements in place to deal with any risk. “Given what’s happened this week, we’ve revisited those risk assessments; we’ve reassessed the security arrangements and we are confident that we are going to provide a safe environment for all Victorians,” Mr Cartwright told reporters on Friday.
Crowds were also warned to allow extra time to get into the match and the stadium due to increased security measures.
The heightened security comes after the Federal Government raised Australia’s terror threat level to ‘high’ a fortnight ago for the first time in history.
Prime Minister Tony Abbott said at the time the increased level meant Australians should expect greater security at airports, large public events and at government buildings and ports.

Police and security guards search cars as they line up to enter the MCG.. #AFL #GrandFinal @James_Mullen7 pic.twitter.com/s5uOOtUgWs
— Kristy Mayr (@KristyMayr7) September 27, 2014

In other news:
Teenager buried
A funeral was held yesterday for teen terror suspect Numan Haider at a mosque in Melbourne’s southeast.
Family friend and Afghan-born Imam Khalid delivered a short message on unity telling mourners “this was our community and we must stick together for we are all Australians”.
Numan Haider was shot dead after stabbing two police officers outside a Melbourne police station. Source: Supplied
Radical preacher in police sights
A senior Islamic preacher at a radical prayer group being investigated for its role in radicalising Haider allegedly posted inflammatory comments about terrorist attacks the day after his death, according to The Herald Sun.
Victorian police will now investigate the Al-Furqan Islamic Centre in Springvale, as officers fear that its extremist interpretation of Islam may have influenced Haider who was shot dead after an unprovoked knife attack on two policemen in Melbourne last Tuesday night.
Police officer ‘threatened’
Queensland’s Police Commissioner Ian Stewart has warned “Australia will be under threat from radicalised extremists for years to come,” The Courier-Mail reported.
“I don’t think we can ever shy away from the fact there are people in our midst who are at a heightened risk of being radicalised and we continue to work very hard with the community to prevent a tragedy,” Mr Stewart told the paper.
“And while these (terror related) incidents, I think, over time will fade from view, we can never forget that there is a sleeper threat there. We shouldn’t be alarmed by that, but it will be there for years to come.’’
Queensland Police Commissioner Ian Stewart has issued a stark warning for the public. Source: News Corp Australia
Mr Stewart also confirmed that an unarmed off-duty officer was threatened outside police headquarters yesterday.
The detective, who on his way home was in a secure car park when he was approached, reported the incident immediately.
Baby-faced praise for martyrs
A video has emerged showing a young boy at the front of a gathering in Sydney reciting passages from the Koran and lecturing followers on the importance of sacrifice in Islam.
According to The Daily Telegraph, the boy who speaks in an Australian accent is seen delivering a chilling speech to a crowd of his “brothers and sisters” calling for the restoration of Islamic authority around the world in a video posted by his father.
“The mujaheens in Syria and Afghanistan and in Palestine and all around the Muslim lands who know that only Islam can bring mercy to mankind,” he preaches in an Australian accent.
The video was published in July and has received numerous shares on social media.
Victorian Special Operations Group police training inside the MCG. Source: News Limited
Islamic school ‘intruder’ charged after knife incident
A 21-year-old man has been arrested and charged after allegedly walking into an Islamic school armed with a knife in Sydney’s southwest.
The man allegedly entered Al-Faisal College in Minto just after 2pm on Thursday, asked if it was a “Muslim school” and spoke to a female teacher before leaving.
Primary school students hid under their desks while high schooners were gathered in a prayer hall as the school went into lockdown on Thursday afternoon.
No one was injured during the incident, which left both students and teachers shaken.
In a statement today, police said that at about 8.30pm on Friday a 21-year-old man attended Campbelltown Police Station, where he was arrested.
He has been charged with armed with intent to commit indictable offence and was refused bail to appear at Campbelltown Local Court later today.
Australia, Britain ‘ready to go’ into Iraq
Australia’s and Britain’s military forces are reportedly ready to go into action in Iraq against Islamic State militants, it has emerged.
RAAF Super Hornet jets are on standby in the United Arab Emirates pending a cabinet decision within days on targeted strikes in Iraq’s north.
The targets will be based on advice from the US-led coalition and the Iraqi government.
The move comes as Britain’s Parliament voted in favour of air strikes in Iraq against Islamic State fighters.
British MPs voted 524 to 43 in favour of military action following more than six hours of debate.
F-16 fighter jets prepare to take off. Many Western countries have declared they will be sending air power to fight IS. Source: AFP
As Londoners were warned to be vigilant for potential attacks on the Tube underground train, network police made further terrorist-related arrests.
Police have released radical preacher Anjem Choudary on bail, a day after he and eight others were arrested in an investigation into a banned extremist group.
Choudary said his arrest was “politically motivated”, telling reporters that the government “waited until the day before a major vote on a war against Muslims for a high-profile series of arrests”.
“I’ve been released from police custody. Just in time for Cameron to declare war on Islam & Muslims in Iraq & Syria,” Choudary posted on Twitter.
Police said the arrests were part of an investigation into Al-Muhajiroun, a banned extremist group co-founded by Choudary, a Briton of Pakistani descent known for making inflammatory statements.
A 47-year-old former lawyer, Choudary was among nine men arrested on Thursday in a police swoop. He has been bailed until January.
Another two suspects were detained in their car on a motorway on Friday, one on suspicion of “encouraging terrorism” and the other for “assisting an offender”.
“These arrests and searches are part of an ongoing investigation into Islamist-related terrorism and are not in response to any immediate public safety risk,” police said.

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