5 Australians to be charged with plotting terror attack

SYDNEY  — Australian police say five people are facing terrorism charges as part of an ongoing investigation into an alleged plot to attack a government building in Sydney.

Australian Federal Police Deputy Commissioner of National Security Michael Phelan says a 15-year-old and 20-year-old man from western Sydney were arrested and charged on Thursday with conspiracy to prepare for a terrorist act. Three other people who are already jailed on other terror charges will be charged with the same offense later Thursday.

Officials said the arrests were not related to a new terror threat, but linked to a plot they previously uncovered that prompted a series of raids in Sydney in Dec. 2014. That alleged plot involved a plan to target a government building in Sydney.

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