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A Tomahawk cruise missile is launched against ISIL targets from the US Navy guided-missile destroyer USS Arleigh Burke, in the Red Sea September 23, 2014. Reuters/U.S. Navy/Carlos M. Vazquez

A teenager was intercepted at Sydney Airport while he was trying to travel to the Middle East. The Federal Government disclosed that the incident had taken place a couple of weeks back.

Counter-terrorism officers stopped the 17-year-old on March 12. Immigration Minister Peter Dutton said that the boy had, however, returned to his family while security agencies were still in the process of investigating the matter. Dutton revealed that the boy was on his way to conflict in the Middle East. He reminded that two other teenagers, one 16 and the other 17, had earlier been intercepted by the Counter Terrorist Unit just before that.

Around 200 people have been stopped from travelling to Middle Eastern countries while they intended to join terrorist groups overseas. The aspiring foreign fighters allegedly include the 17-year-old boy who is one of many young Australian people who are apparently influenced by Islamic State propaganda.

“Many of these young people, even without the knowledge of their parents, are downloading and receiving information through social media and on the internet otherwise,” Dutton said in Canberra, “So we need whatever tools we have to apply to this situation but the CTU officers are the front line response for us to investigate these matters, stop people travelling to an almost certain death or for contribution to the death of others, and then ultimately if they do survive returning to our country.”

Dutton added that extremist forces were brainwashing the Australian youth through computer screens. He said that those returning from conflict zones in the Middle East posed a significant threat for Australia as people would come back even more radicalised.

Canada earlier decided to start air strikes against IS forces in Syria. When Australian PM Tony Abbott was asked about it, he said that he had no plans to follow Canada’s path. Abbott, on the other hand, mentioned that Australia had six super Hornet strike fighters, a refueller and an airborne control aircraft in the conflict zone to help with air operations.

Abbott added that Australia was not directly involved in launching air strikes in Syria. However, it is “supporting strikes” in Syria.

Contact the writer: s.mukhopadhyay@ibtimes.com.au

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