Police stage raids in western Sydney

Australia Federal Police raided a number of homes in Sydney’s west early on Thursday morning.

The raids at properties in Belmore, Bass Hill and Greenacre come just two days after a young Solami-Australian man was arrested for allegedly plotting an ISIS-inspired New Year’s Eve attack.

Ali Khalif Shire Ali was dramatically arrested on Monday and charged with trying to obtain a semi-automatic rifle to gun down revellers in Melbourne’s Federation Square. 

The Sydney’s legendary Middle Eastern Organised Crime Squad is raiding the properties as part of an investigation into drug supply, a NSW police spokeswoman said.

A man was arrested at the Belmore home, according to 9News

 

Australia Federal Police raided a number of homes in Belmore, Bass Hill and Greenacre, in Sydney’s west, early on Thursday morning (pictured)

A man was arrested at the Belmore home (pictured with police)

A man was arrested at the Belmore home (pictured with police)

The Sydney's legendary Middle Eastern Organised Crime Squad is raiding the properties as part of an investigation into drug supply, a NSW police spokeswoman said

The Sydney’s legendary Middle Eastern Organised Crime Squad is raiding the properties as part of an investigation into drug supply, a NSW police spokeswoman said

On Wednesday, officers raided up to nine homes in the city’s west in connection to identity theft and fraud. 

Four men and three women were arrested by the Identity Security Strike Team, which had been investigating targeted mail theft and identity fraud across Sydney since June. 

They are expected to be charged with identity information and fraud offences.

A female Department of Human Services employee will be charged with bribery offences, NSW police said. 

‘As a result of their inquiries, investigators uncovered an organised network allegedly stealing mail, specifically targeting financial information and cards; impersonating account holders during telephone calls to gather further identity information, then purchasing goods or making cash withdrawals using the fraudulent credit cards,’ officers said.

‘Further investigations revealed the group engaged an employee of a Commonwealth government agency, who was allegedly providing identity information accessed without authorisation, in return for cash.’ 

On Wednesday, officers raided up to nine homes in the city's west in connection to identity theft and fraud 

On Wednesday, officers raided up to nine homes in the city’s west in connection to identity theft and fraud 

Four men and three women were arrested by the Identity Security Strike Team, which had been investigating targeted mail theft and identity fraud across Sydney since June 

Police are seen taking evidence from the Guilford property during the raids on Wednesday

Police are seen taking evidence from the Guilford property during the raids on Wednesday

Ali, 20, was reportedly targeted by ASIO because of his links to a radicalised 15-year-old boy who killed Curtis Cheng.

He was well-connected to Australian jihadist circles including multiple other terror suspects and extremist preacher Junaid Thorne.

Ali was also friends with Farhad Jabar, 15, who shot dead NSW police accountant Curtis Cheng outside the police centre in Parramatta in 2015.

He once boasted to a group of Islamic extremists about how he had refused to speak to ASIO agents who offered him money for information about his links to Jabar. 

Ali claimed agents offered him $200 for every tip he gave them about extremist activity in his community, but he refused to dob in Muslims because it was ‘haram’.

‘I know their tricks and whatever you say to them they will use as evidence against you,’ Ali said.

‘They start to get to the real questions, like who are your friends with, what do you think about ISIS, what are your thoughts about those groups.

The searches come just two days after a young Solami-Australian man was arrested for allegedly plotting an ISIS-inspired New Year's Eve attack (pictured)

The searches come just two days after a young Solami-Australian man was arrested for allegedly plotting an ISIS-inspired New Year’s Eve attack (pictured)

 

 

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