Two men charged as Australia foils 'imminent' terror attack

Sydney

TWO men were charged in Australia on Wednesday after police thwarted an "imminent" terror attack, seizing an Islamic State flag, a machete and an Arabic language video detailing the alleged plot during a raid in Sydney.

New South Wales deputy police commissioner Catherine Burn said the planned attack was "consistent with the messaging coming out of IS", while New South Wales state Premier Mike Baird described it as "beyond disturbing".

Asked whether the plot involved a beheading, Ms Burn said police were as yet unsure, but that it had been due to happen on Tuesday in Sydney, and would likely have involved a knife.

The men, Omar Al-Kutobi, 24, and Mohammad Kiad, 25, were arrested in a raid on a property in the city's western suburbs by the Joint Counter Terrorism Taskforce on Tuesday…