(Bloomberg) -- Australian police arrested a man for allegedly helping Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria seeking to develop a long-range guided missile and a laser warning device to detect air strikes.
The 42-year-old Australian citizen, who was trained as an electrician, was arrested in the rural town of Young in New South Wales state on Tuesday, the Australian Federal Police said in a statement. He's due to appear in court on charges that carry a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.
The arrest, which came after a more than 18-month investigation, is “yet another reminder of the enduring threat we face from Islamist terrorism,” Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull told reporters in Canberra. “This highlights that terrorism, support for terrorist groups, and Islamist extremism is not limited to our major cities.”
Police allege the man was researching and designing a device “to help warn against incoming laser-guided munitions used by forces in Syria and Iraq,” according to the statement. He was also allegedly “researching, designing and modelling systems to assist with Islamic State efforts to develop a long-range guided missile.”
Evidence doesn't indicate the man was planning an attack in Australia, Turnbull said.
To contact the reporter on this story: Edward Johnson in Sydney at ejohnson28@bloomberg.net.
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Edward Johnson at ejohnson28@bloomberg.net, Angus Whitley
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