Five men arrested in Cairns as they allegedly prepared to use a small boat to travel to Indonesia, in a bid to join Islamic State in Syria, were "very committed", authorities say.
The men - one of whom is reported to be the notorious Islamic preacher Musa Cerantonio - remain in custody after they were arrested yesterday while towing the boat towards Cape York, in far north Queensland.
Australian Federal Police assistant commissioner Neil Gaughan confirmed today that the men had been under investigation for "a number of weeks".
AFP Dep Comm Neil Gaughan speaks at press conference about 5 men arrested allegedly trying to join IS. @abcnewsMelb pic.twitter.com/IhIz3jZHz2
— Stephanie Ferrier (@FerrierSteph) May 11, 2016
The men, aged between 21 and 33, have not yet been charged.
"They were in a boat that was seven metres long. They were committed, obviously very committed," Mr Gaughan said in Melbourne.
The fact that they'd travelled from Melbourne to far north Queensland "indicates that these people were extremely committed in their adventure and their attempt to leave the country".
The passports of the men had been cancelled, police said.
Authorities have not yet confirmed the identities of those arrested.
Cerantonio, from Melbourne's western suburbs, was arrested in the Philippines in 2014 after saying he was en route to Syria, and is considered by authorities to be influential among wannabe foreign fighters. He had kept a relatively low profile since his deportation.
It has also been reported that Shayden Thorne, the brother of another hardline Islamist preacher, Junaid Thorne, was among the group.
Shayden Thorne was arrested in Saudi Arabia in 2011 for terrorism offences and deported to Australia in 2014.
"I must stress that the investigation remains active and the focus is on ensuring community ... safety and disrupting criminal activity either on Australian soil or by Australians attempting to join overseas conflicts," Mr Gaughan said.
Authorities are investigating whether the men were planing to make their way through Indonesia to the Philippines, with a plan to end up in Syria.
Victoria Police deputy commissioner Shane Patton said there was no threat of a terrorism incident arising from the investigation.
Still, he said the alleged plot should not be downplayed.
"This is a serious attempt by five men who have had their passports cancelled in attempting to exit Australia ... ultimately we're investigating the intention to possibly end up in Syria to fight," he said.
The men five men, all from Melbourne, were described by authorities as "associates" but police would not say if they attended the same mosque.
Deputy Commissioner Patton said authorities were "continually monitoring persons of interest".
"We will continue to disrupt, if they're trying to get this, be it via boat, via plane or any other method. We have an obligation to ensure that people can't go and support terrorism or fight in other conflict zones," he said.
He said he would not divulge where the men were being held for security reasons.
Deputy Commissioner Patton also confirmed eight warrants were executed on Tuesday in Melbourne and one in Queensland in relation to the alleged plot.
Federal Attorney-General George Brandis says the arrests demonstrate the threat to Australians from those engaging in acts of terrorism, including acts of terrorism in foreign countries, "remains real and present".
"I want to emphasise that the offences on suspicion of which these five men were arrested were not to conduct an act of terrorism on the Australian mainland but to travel, in breach of Australian law, overseas to engage in foreign incursion against the Australian criminal code," Senator Brandis said.
"Nevertheless, the Australian government takes very seriously, whether it be acts of domestic terrorism or threats to commit acts of domestic terrorism, or attempts by Australians to travel overseas to engage in terrorist war fighting on foreign soil, in this case, as I said before, in Syria."
Senator Brandis confirmed the men were arrested north of Cairns.
He also confirmed authorities were concerned about the men breaching foreign incursion laws.
"Authorities had had visibility of these five men for some time and in order to circumvent the effect of the passport cancellation and in order to leave Australia, they had acquired a vessel which it is believed they proposed to launch from a locality on the coast of far north Queensland to make their way to Indonesia and from Indonesia ultimately into Syria," he said.
Senator Brandis said the men had been arrested shortly after arriving in far north Queensland, adding it was believed to be the first attempt of its kind to leave Australia by vessel.
"They haven't been charged yet. They have been arrested and taken into custody, where they now are. We must now let the investigation take its normal course," he said.
The attorney-general also refused to confirm reports that Cerantonio was among those arrested.
"That has been reported but we are not confirming the identity of any of the suspects."
