IS call for attacks on specific locations in Australia ‘propaganda’ : Police

Victoria Police and Premier Daniel Andrews have dismissed as propaganda a call in an Islamic State (IS) magazine for attacks to be carried out on specific locations in Melbourne and Sydney.

An edition of IS’s online magazine, Rumiyah, called for terrorist sympathisers to wage acts of violence.

Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton said it was the first time police had seen such threats in an IS English-language publication.

He said much of the article had been reprinted.

“What appears to be the only new content is essentially a poem making reference to a number of Australian locations,” he said.

“In that poem it seeks to get people to wreak violence in a number of suburbs in Victoria, that includes Brunswick and Broadmeadows and a specific mention of the MCG.”

“It also mentions Bondi; you’ll notice all these suburbs start with a b, hence the mention of the poem, and also the SCG in Sydney.”

Chief Commissioner Ashton said Victoria Police were liaising with Australian intelligence services over the article.

“This appears to be propaganda,” he said.

“Nonetheless, we are taking this very seriously … if anything does emerge of any greater specificity in relation to the threat … we will be acting pretty quickly.”

He said the publication had also gone out in French and German, and in Indonesian languages.

“The suburbs that are mentioned are substituted with local locations in those countries in those languages as well,” he said.

“This will continue to be assessed, but there’s nothing at this stage to suggest there’s any specific threats that we need to action immediately in relation to those particular suburbs or those sporting locations”

“If anything arises then we’ll obviously be acting on it, but at this stage there is nothing of any concern.”

Chief Commissioner Ashton said an already increased police presence would be in place for Victoria’s football finals, the Royal Melbourne Show and the Spring Racing Carnival.

Victorians should not change their behaviour : Andrews

Mr Andrews said there had been no change to the state’s threat level and people should not change their behaviour.

“My message, is to reassure all members of the Victorian community,” he said.

“We take every threat, every word that is published about terrorism or acts of violence against Victorians or any location in Victoria …very seriously.”

“It is an evil document as it is calling upon people to commit terrible crimes. We send a very clear message that we will not be intimidated by these sorts of cowardly threats.”

The IS article also contained information that Melbourne man Ezzit Raad, once convicted over a terror plot, had reportedly been killed fighting for Islamic State in Syria.

It included a photograph of a corpse which appeared to be Raad, said to have been killed by a piece of shrapnel to the chest in the Syrian city of Manbij.

The city was captured in August by Kurdish forces fighting against Islamic State.

Victoria Police would not comment on Raad.

Source : ABC News