Australia: Man detained over New Year's Eve terror plot

20-year-old Melbourne suspect will be charged with terrorism, police say

By Recep Sakar

MELBOURNE (AA) - Australian police have detained a man suspected of plotting a mass shooting on New Year's Eve in Melbourne, Victoria state, police said Tuesday.

Victoria police deputy commissioner Shane Patton said the 20-year-old suspect was apprehended after a joint counter-terrorism operation in Werribee district of the city, according to local media.

Palton said the man, an Australian citizen with Somalian parents, is a high-risk person of interest.

"We have been monitoring him for a very lengthy period of time…What we will be alleging is that he was intending to use a firearm to shoot and kill as many people as he could," Patton said.

The man, who would face court, is believed to be acting alone.

"We are alleging that...he is a sympathizer of ISIS [Daesh]," Patton added.

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