afrol News, 4 August - Australian police have said some of the four people arrested in Melbourne today are linked to acts of terror in Somalia.

The four and another one, are believed to have been planning a suicide attack at the country’s army base before they were cornered at the crack of dawn today.

The suspects are said to be Australian nationals of Somali and Lebanese descent.

"Police believe members of a Melbourne-based group have been undertaking planning to carry out a terrorist attack in Australia and [are] allegedly involved in hostilities in Somalia," a statement from the police said.

According to the statement and media reports, the attack would have been the most serious terrorist attack on Australian.

The group is further alleged to have been seeking a religious approval to launch the attack, while prosecutors have also reportedly told the court they had evidence some of the men had taken part in training and fighting in Somalia along the al-Shabab group, which seeks to overthrow the UN-backed Somali government and is believed to have links to al-Qaeda.

Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd was quoted in the media after the arrests, saying: "The sobering element of today's development is the reminder to all Australians that the threat of terrorism is alive and well, and this requires continued vigilance on the part of our security authorities."

By staff writer

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