Islamic Centre Raid In Brisbane Leads To Arrest Of 2 Men Recruiting Aussies To Fight In Syria

Australian federal police arrested on Wednesday two men after they raided the iQraa Islamic Centre in Underwood. They arrested 31-year-old Omar Succarieh of Kuraby and an unnamed 21-year-old man from Boronia Heights.

Succarieh is facing charges of providing funds to Jabhat al-Nusra, a terrorist organization in Syria, and planning to enter Syria to engage in hostile activities. The other man is facing similar charges of plans to conduct hostile activities.

The two are suspects in recruitment of Australians to fight for the Islamic State in Libya and funding the travel of their recruits to the Middle East.

Succarieh is the brother of Ahmed, suspected to be the first suicide bomber in Syria from Australia known to have ties with the centre. In September 2013, Ahmed was investigated for driving a vehicle with explosives into a military checkpoint.

The raid and arrest was the result of a year on investigation, which included the execution of nine search warrants in Logan and southern Brisbane that day, said AFP Assistant Commissioner Neil Gaughan.

Gaughan said they confiscated electronic data and a firearm during the raid. He said the police would block bail for the two suspects when they appear on Thursday morning at the Brisbane Magistrates Court.

However, Gaughan admits there is no evidence that the pair plan to terror attacks in Australia. Gayle Hogan, assistant commissioner for Queensland, added there is no risk on the G20 summit that Brisbane will host in November 2014.

A customer at the centre said there is nothing subversive going inside IQraa which is just a bookstore that sells perfumes to Qu'rans that welcome everyone who enters it. "I think it's just instilling fear in the Muslim community," Abu Amaan told Brisbane Times.

YouTube/WorldNewsTVOnline