Canberra, Sep 18 (IANS) Police in Australia Thursday detained 15 people on terrorism-related offences during the biggest counter-terror raids in the country.
More than 800 police officers conducted searches at 25 places across Sydney on a group of people who allegedly had an "intent to carry out random attacks on individuals in Australia", Xinhua reported.
A man has been charged with "serious terrorism-related offences" and will appear at a Sydney court later Thursday.
Police raids were also carried out in Brisbane.
In Sydney, police said they believe the group was actively preparing for attacks. However, there is no information regarding a specific attack, including dates, time or location.
Police said the searches were undertaken to prevent the group's activities at the earliest opportunity, and collect further evidence.