Four Melbourne men accused of accessing and distributing “ISIS propaganda”, including videos of terror attacks, have been charged by federal authorities.
Officers swooped on Mohammad Ahmadzai, 21, and Azan Syed, 20, both from Roxburgh Park, as well as Clyde North men Sulaiman Sarwari, 29, and Adian Sarwari, 19, as part of an extensive national security investigation on Thursday.
One of the AFP member’s guns was accidentially fired during the pre-dawn raids, but no-one was injured.
The probe began when border force officials searched the mobile phone of Mr Syed during a luggage inspection after he returned to Melbourne from Turkey in November 2024.
ABF officers allegedly located “suspicious content” and referred the matter to federal police.
When Mr Ahmadzai went to fly from Melbourne to Turkey in June last year, his mobile phone was also seized.
Federal police allege the men had been “sending, sharing and receiving” violent extremism material.
Fronting Melbourne Magistrates Court on Friday, all four men were bailed under strict conditions, including curfews and not leaving the state.
During Sulaiman Sarwari’s bail application, details emerged how officers found a laptop, beanie with Arabic writing and a machete in a storage shed under his Clyde North home.
A search of his phone allegedly uncovered messages in the encrypted messaging platform, Whatsapp, where he had shared links to violent extremist videos in April and May this year.
“The main video depicted serious violence, including the execution of unknown people,” AFP senior constable Kayleigh Edwards told the court.
She said the videos also showed Islamic State flags and propaganda.
The court heard while Sulaiman Sarwari had no criminal history, he had been part of a voluntary deradicalisation program with the Board of Imams since 2017.
All four men were charged with possession of violent extremist material, an offence which carries a maximum of five years in prison.
Outside court, AFP Counter Terrorism Commander Paula Hudson, in a statement, said the arrests were a huge concern for national security.
“We allege these men were actively engaging in the sharing of this material inspired by ISIS, a terrorist organisation responsible for mass killings, and violent religious persecution,” she said.
“We know that intervening early helps to ensure individuals are disrupted before they reach the most serious levels of offending and prevent any potential for escalation to violence.”
The men will return to court in July.