Two teenage boys from Australia were recently arrested right inside a prayer hall for allegedly plotting to carry out a terrorist attack inspired by the Islamic State (ISIS).
The two 16-year-old boys, who were not identified in a report by The Daily Mail because they are minors, were apprehended by police officers inside a mosque called Adnum Lane Musallah, located in the Bankstown suburb in southwestern Sydney.
While inside the Muslim place of worship, the teenagers were reportedly caught in possession of M9 Bayonet hunting knives and a handwritten note pledging allegiance to the ISIS — clear indications that they were preparing to commit a terrorist act, Australian authorities said.
Australian Federal Police (AFP) Deputy Commissioner Michael Phelan welcomed the arrest of the two teenagers, saying they could have potentially harmed Australians if they had not been apprehended.
"Had we not been in the right place at the right time … certainly somebody, potentially today, would be, or another day imminently, would be without their life," Phelan told The Daily Mail.
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He added that police authorities are currently investigating if the arrested teenage boys were indeed planning to carry out some beheadings, although he admitted that investigators "don't have any information to indicate that" at present.
The two teenagers are currently behind bars and have already been charged with planning an act of terror, which carries a penalty of life imprisonment if they are convicted. Aside from this, they were also accused of being members of a terrorist organisation, which is punishable with 10 years in jail.
New South Wales Police Deputy Commissioner Cath Burns meanwhile expressed concern over how the teens already subscribe to extremist beliefs at such a young age. She challenged parents to protect their kids from these kinds of thoughts.
"The age of these two individuals at the age of 16 is of unbelievable concern to us. We are seeing it time and time again. It's up to the parents, really, to try to do everything they can to make sure those signs of radicalisation at an early stage are addressed," Burns said.
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