2 Australian teens charged with planning act of terror

MELBOURNE, Australia (AA) – Two Australian teenagers have been charged with planning a Daesh-inspired act of terror, according to police Thursday.

The 16-year-old boys were formally refused bail at a children's court in the Sydney suburb of Parramatta on Thursday.

Counter-terrorism police arrested them Wednesday afternoon following their alleged purchase of weapons at a gun shop, according to the Australian Associated Press (AAP).

They have been charged with planning an act of terror and being members of Islamic State, offences that carry a penalty of life imprisonment and 10 years' prison, respectively.

They were arrested in the Sydney suburb of Bankstown while reportedly in possession of bayonet-style knifes.

The teens are due to appear in court Dec. 7.

Authorities have said that an attack was “imminent”, without providing details about any potential targets.

The AAP quoted the deputy commissioner of the Australian Federal Police, Michael Phelan, as telling reporters Thursday that the case was “particularly sobering” given the age of the suspects.

“Had we not been in the right place at the right time... certainly somebody, potentially today, would be, or another day imminently, would be without their life,” he said.

Meanwhile, the deputy commissioner of police in New South Wales state, Cath Burn said, “I think they had potential radicalization from potentially radicalized peers.”

She declined to confirm reports on one of the teens’ alleged relation to a man who was incarcerated following a conviction for terror offences.

According to authorities, the arrest of the pair was the 11th “imminent terror attack” prevented by Joint Counter Terrorism Teams in the country.

Australia has been engaged in efforts to increase anti-terror measures in recent years, and has banned its citizens from traveling to Mosul in northern Iraq and Syria’s Raqqa province due to the Daesh presence -- unless they have a "legitimate purpose" for being there.

The country also passed legislation in December to strip dual nationals of their citizenship if they are convicted or suspected of terrorism offenses.