Alleged right-wing extremist charged following Melbourne anti-terror raids
An alleged member of an anti-Islam group has been charged with terrorism offences following anti-terror raids in Melbourne and county Victoria.
The man is reportedly a member of Reclaim Australia. The charges came after Philip Galea was arrested at a Braybrook property on Ballarat Road Saturday.
Galea, 31, is reported to have several ties to other organisations, and is believed to be a notorious right-wing extremist.
Four properties, including Galea's, were raided simultaneously as dozens of counter-terrorism police swooped on homes across the state.
Other warrants were executed in Braybrook, Bacchus Marsh and Tatura.
Police said they had acted on information they received that an act of terrorism was "imminent".
Mr Galea's door was smashed in by counter-terrorism officers from the Australin Federal Police at around 1pm on Saturday.
Witnesses told 7 News he was "dragged into his front yard" wearing only his underwear.
Police then began picking apart every inch of Mr Galea's home.
A line search was conducted in his back yard, with evidence markers also being dropped.
Forensic examination at the property is expected to continue for at least another 24 hours.
On his Facebook page, Galea has shared various links to Reclaim Australia rallies and has uploaded a video of himself burning pro-refugee booklets in a metal bin.
"There could be more warrants, and more people arrested," Assistant Commissioner Guenther said on Saturday.
"The threat was specific enough to cause alarm in terms of the risk it would cause the community," he said.
He said the raids were in relation to intelligence that an individual or a group were attempting to harm Victorians and producing documents that would incite people to harm others.
A worker in the Braybrook area, who wished to remain anonymous, told The Age that a large police truck arrived at the property and there were officers covered head-to-toe in combat gear.
Another witness described the scene as chaotic, with officers "everywhere" and what he thought looked like a police SWAT team.
Assistant Commissioner Guenther would not comment on what police had seized from the properties during the raids.
"I'm sure that will be coming out over the next 24 to 48 hours," he said.
He said the Braybrook man who is in police custody was a "person of primary concern" and over the next 24 hours there may be more people implicated and more properties searched.
Victoria Police confirmed the 31-year-old Braybrook man has been charged with one count of preparing or planning a terrorist act, and one count of collecting or making documents likely to facilitate a terrorist attack.
The accused appeared before a bail justice early Sunday morning and was remanded to appear at the Melbourne Magistrates' Court for a filing hearing later today.
News break – August 7
