Accused ISIS Propagandist Arrested In Australia, Helped Plan Mass-Casualty Attack

Authored by Will Nicholas and Jacob Shteyman via The Epoch Times (AAP),

An accused ISIS member has been arrested by counter-terrorism agents over allegations he instructed people how to plan and conduct mass-casualty attacks from his base in Australia.

The Melbourne man, who the Australian Federal Police alleges was a propagandist for the Islamic extremist group, is accused of sending about 10,000 documents, messages, images, videos and audio files relating to executions and torture.

The 65-year-old retiree allegedly pledged allegiance to ISIS.

The man, a Somali-born Australian citizen, is alleged to have acted on the behalf of the terrorist group without traveling to the territory it controlled during conflict in the Middle East.

His role was significant, police said.

The scale of extremist material the man was accused of spreading put him among the top propagandists on the encrypted messaging platform he used, AFP acting Assistant Commissioner Paula Hudson said.

“The material allegedly shared by this man glorified acts of extreme violence and promoted a terrorist organization, spreading a hateful ideology that’s designed to radicalize others,” Hudson said.

The videos, photographs, audio files and documents he allegedly sent contained messages relating to “abhorrent content,” including executions, mass murder and torture.

“Terrorist organizations like ISIS rely on online platforms to distribute propaganda and recruit supporters,” Hudson said.

“Their content is specifically designed to radicalize individuals, encouraging them to adopt extremist beliefs and commit acts of violence.”

The man was arrested at a home in Carlton, in Melbourne’s inner north, on Sept. 23.

Counter-terror officers will also allege that the man shared information about avoiding detection from law enforcement, along with instructional guides on planning and conducting mass-casualty attacks.

He is expected to be charged with being a member of a terrorist organization, possessing violent extremist material, and using a carriage service to cause offense.

How the man, a Somali-born Australian citizen, came to be radicalized was expected to emerge in court, Hudson added.

The arrest followed an investigation that began with a referral from the Australian Border Force, which intercepted the man and searched his luggage at Melbourne Airport in November 2020 as he left for Egypt.

A search of his mobile phone allegedly turned up suspicious content.

Agents seized the device but allowed the man to continue on to Egypt, where he stayed for a sixth-month period.

Investigators believe the man had compassionate grounds to leave the country, as was required during COVID-19 travel restrictions in place at the time.

There is no evidence the man traveled to any declared no-go zones at the time.

An additional search warrant was executed in 2024.

Police do not allege the man continued to distribute extremist material after his initial interception in 2020.

Authorities believe that more than 200 Australians have joined ISIS since 2012, some of the more than 50,000 fighters the group was thought to have attracted from overseas.

The man is expected to appear before Melbourne Magistrates Court later on Sept. 23.

Police have not ruled out further arrests but said there was no threat to the community.