A fifth Muslim man has been charged after allegedly being caught with Islamic terrorist propaganda during an ongoing investigation into suspected ISIS-linked activity in Melbourne.
The man, 25, from Meadow Heights was arrested after arriving at Melbourne International Airport from Malaysia on Saturday morning and charged with possession of violent extremist material, which was allegedly found on his phone by Australian Border Force officers when he flew out of Australia on May 5.
Police allege a forensic analysis of his phone revealed he was in possession of ISIS-inspired content, and he was refused bail in Melbourne Magistrates Court on Saturday, and will appear again on August 7.
Four Muslim men have been arrested in a series of raids carried out in suburban Melbourne and charged with allegedly possessing and sharing ISIS propaganda.
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The charge comes less than two weeks after four other Muslim men were arrested in a series of raids across the city as part of an ongoing investigation into the alleged access and distribution of ISIS propaganda online.
One man, who lives in Roxburgh Park and is now 20, was stopped by Australian Border Force officers after arriving from Turkey on November 29, 2024, and another, now 21, was intercepted while trying to leave for Turkey on June 1 last year.
The Australian Federal Police said suspicious content was found on both of their phones, and will allege a forensic analysis revealed they were sending, sharing and receiving suspected “violent extremist material”, including images and videos of terrorist attacks and other ISIS propaganda.
AFP officers from a National Security Investigations (NSI) team then raided four homes in Roxburgh Park, Clyde South and Meadow Heights on Thursday, seized more devices, and arrested the 20 and 21-year-olds, and two men from Clyde North aged 19 and 29.
A police firearm was accidentally discharged at one of the Roxburgh Park properties, but no one was injured, police said.
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All four men were charged with possession of violent extremist material, which carries a maximum penalty of five years’ imprisonment, and remain before the courts.
A fifth man, 21, was arrested in Meadow Heights but released pending further enquiries.
“We allege these men were actively engaging in the sharing of this material inspired by ISIS, a terrorist organisation responsible for mass killings, and violent religious persecution,” AFP Counter Terrorism Commander Paula Hudson said after the raids.
Header image: Left, right, two of the men being arrested in Melbourne earlier this month (Australian Border Force).
