Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Reuters
Reuters
Politics

Australia police free one of four suspects in 'Islamic-inspired' plot

Australia Federal Police officers patrol the security lines at Sydney's Domestic Airport in Australia, July 31, 2017, following weekend raids related to a plot against Australia's aviation sector. REUTERS/Jason Reed

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australian police said on Tuesday they had released one of four men arrested in raids last weekend that foiled an "Islamic-inspired" plot to bring down a plane.

Local media said the plot may have involved a bomb or poisonous gas.

A 50-year-old man was released on Tuesday night, the Australian Federal Police (AFP) said in a statement, adding that no criminal charges had been filed against him. The other men remain detained without charge, the statement said.

The AFP has not released details of the plot, although a U.S. official familiar with the arrests told Reuters that the target appeared to have been a commercial flight from Sydney to the Persian Gulf.

Abu Dhabi's Etihad Airways said on Tuesday it was assisting the AFP in the investigation.

Australia has been on heightened alert since 2014 for attacks by home-grown militants returning from fighting in the Middle East, or their supporters, but has suffered few domestic attacks.

The 2014 Lindt cafe siege in Sydney, in which the hostage-taker and two people were killed, was Australia's most deadly violence inspired by Islamic State militants.

(Reporting by Tom Westbrook; Editing by Tom Brown)

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.