The race is on, and it ain’t no soap-box derby. From the TimesOnline, with thanks to Kemaste:
Two rival extremist groups were in a race to mount the first terrorist atrocity on Australian soil, a court heard today.
More than 450 armed police carried out morning raids on 23 properties across the country’s two largest cities today, arresting eight men in Sydney and nine in Melbourne. Chemicals, weapons, computers and rucksacks were siezed.
One suspect was under police guard in intensive care after being shot in the neck after allegedly opening fire on police in Sydney. A handgun was said to have been found in his backpack.
Abdul Nacer Benbrika, a Muslim cleric also known as Abu Bakr who once praised Osama Bin Laden as a “great man”, was among the nine men held in custody after brief court appearances in Melbourne.
It was suggested that the two loosely-affiliated groups had been in competition to carry out a major attack. Police said that although the target had not been specified, preparations were in their final stages.