Man Charged Over Sydney Opera House Threats

An 18-year-old man with a backpack was arrested Sept. 8 outside the Sydney Opera House after allegedly telling security guards he was under orders from the Islamic State group to carry out an attack.

Photo: AP Photo / Rob Griffifth, File

Counterterrorism investigators charged him with threatening to destroy property. New South Wales Police claim he was carrying two canisters of automotive fluid, The Australian newspaper reported. They raided his house in the suburb of Narwee and seized items for investigation.

The man faced Sydney Central Local Court the day after and ordered to undergo a psychiatric assessment. He faces a maximum of five years jail if convicted. His arrest came after Islamic State’s new magazine Rumiyah urged followers to stab, shoot, poison and run over Australians at iconic locations such as the Opera House, as well as the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Sydney Cricket Ground and Bondi Beach.

Daily Pulse