Australian Police Break Up Terror Plot

Australian authorities carried out a number of raids and made one arrest in what is being described as a successful effort to stop a terrorist bombing in the city of Melbourne.

The Australian reports that the raids took place in the cities of Sydney and Melbourne and thwarted a plot to detonate several bombs throughout Melbourne. The police arrested a 17-year-old male in the Melbourne suburb of Greenvale.

The arrest was the product of a long investigation that heated up markedly in the last nine days. The male and a young girl were arrested as they left the house. Police found explosives in the house, which they took to a local park and detonated safely.

Reuters reports that the police were tipped off about the plot, which began the investigation.

The 17-year-old will be charged in court Monday. It is unclear what role the female played in the plot, if any.

It has been rumored the attack was meant for Mother's Day, but security authorities have provided any concrete details because the investigation is still ongoing.

This is the second case involving Australian teens trying to carry out terrorist attacks in the last month.

The Associated Press notes that last month five teens, also in Melbourne, were arrested as they tried to plot an attack on Australian Veterans' Day celebrations. That attack was also said to have involved the explicit targeting of police officers.

Although both incidents took place in Melbourne, it is not believed the suspects in both cases cooperated with each other.

The last successful terror attack in Australia took place in Dec. 2014 when a gunman claiming allegiance to the Islamic State took hostages in Sydney. The standoff lasted for nearly a day and ended with the deaths of two hostages and the gunman.