A 23-year-old Melbourne man will be charged with funding a terrorist organisation to help finance a US citizen fighting in Syria, police said on Tuesday.
The arrest in Seabrook, about 19km south-west of the Melbourne central business district, came during morning raids in five suburbs – Flemington, Meadow Heights, Kealba, Broadmeadows and Seabrook. All related to the alleged financing of a proscribed terrorist organisation.
Neil Gaughan, an Australian federal police (AFP) assistant commissioner, told a media conference the man provided $12,000 to support an American citizen now fighting in the war-torn country.
The AFP made the arrest in conjunction with Victoria police following an operation which began earlier this year, when information was provided to the AFP by law enforcement partners from the US Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The man was due to appear at Melbourne Magistrates Court on Tuesday afternoon charged with intentionally making funds available to a terrorist organisation, knowing that organisation was a terrorist organisation.
Gaughan said seven search warrants were issued and more than 100 AFP and Victoria police officers were involved in Tuesday’s raids. They followed an eight-month investigation after initial information was provided by the FBI.
“We have gone early today because we were of the view that further funds were about to be transferred,” Gaughan said. “There is no information or intelligence that this man was involved in planning an attack.”
The raids were relatively low key, he said, because there was no danger to the public.
Gaughan said that Tuesday’s raids and arrest showed police were investigating all aspects of terrorism.
“We are acutely aware that to participate in overseas fighting, funds are required,” he said. “In this case we will allege that the man was funding someone from the US. However who is being funded makes no difference.
“Providing funding is equally criminal as actually travelling to participate and we will use all our resources to cut off the supply of funds to terrorists.”
Victoria police deputy commissioner Graham Ashton said he wanted to reiterate that there was no direct threat to community safety.
“This is a safe state and a safe community, it is important that we have confidence and we want to make sure that everyone goes about their business as they ordinarily would,” he said.
In Seabrook, a neighbour of the arrested man said he was in his mid-20s and worked in his father’s pizza shop.
“He was very friendly. He moved in to the house in December with his wife after getting married,” said Herve Du Euisson-Berrine.
Earlier in September the federal government released a report into terrorism funding in Australia which said Syria and Iraq posed the “most significant terrorism financing risk”.
Australians travelling to Syria to fight also meant a significant risk of local funds being raised to support terrorism in that country.
“At least two groups listed as terrorist organisations by the commonwealth government, Jabhat al-Nusra and the Islamic State, are engaged in conflict against the Syrian regime,” the report said.
“Conflict in Syria creates a dynamic environment for terrorism financing, which may lead to the use of new methods of fundraising and transferring funds.”
The report said neighbouring countries including Lebanon, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan had been used as conduits to route money destined for Syria.
The Greens member for Melbourne, Adam Bandt, has Flemington in his electorate and said terrorism was not a Muslim problem but an Australian problem.
“My office and I have very strong community relationships, including with the Muslim community, and we are currently talking to residents to reassure them, offer our support and share information,” Bandt said.
“I hope that residents are feeling safe and I encourage them to call my office if they would like. I am organising a meeting for our community in the coming days.
“Terrorism in our community is not a Muslim problem, it is an Australian problem. The best way to fight terror, hatred and violence is together.
“Critical to fighting radicalisation is to tackle the social dislocation and lack of opportunity that can feed it.”
More than 800 officers were involved in Australia’s largest counter-terrorism operation on 18 September at homes in Sydney and Melbourne. One man, 22-year-old Omarjan Azari, was charged with preparing to commit a terror attack.