Melbourne's "terrorist plot" must be stopped

Australian police have announced that they have arrested three men planning a terrorist attack in Melbourne.

The group was trying to get a semi-automatic rifle to kill as many people as possible in an overcrowded place, officials said.

The suspects – aged 21, 26 and 30 – were allegedly inspired by ISIS.

There was no permanent threat to the public, said Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton.

Ashton said the men had not settled on the scene of the alleged attack, but that their planning had "intensified" in recent days.

"There was a view to an overcrowded place, a place where a maximum of people would be present, to be able to kill, it was said, as many as possible," he told the press.

Earlier this month, an attacker armed with a knife killed a man and injured two others in Melbourne in what the police described as a terrorist attack.

Ashton said the suspects arrested Tuesday were "more energetic" last week, but it was unclear whether this was due to increased public debate on terrorism.

Plot alleged "chilling"

The three men, all Australian citizens of Turkish descent, were arrested on Tuesday during police attacks in northwestern Melbourne.

They have been followed by the authorities since last year and their passports have recently been canceled, Ashton said.

Police said both men were acquiring a .22 caliber semi-automatic rifle.

"If we had not acted early to prevent this attack, we would argue that the consequences would have been terrifying," said Deputy Commissioner of the Australian Federal Police Ian McCartney.

The three men should be charged with terrorism-related offenses later Tuesday.

Australian police have charged 90 people in anti-terrorism investigations since 2014, when the country's level of terrorist threat had become "likely".