ISIS Propagandist Arrested in Australia

An Australian man has been arrested by counter-terrorism agents over allegations that he planned and instructed others on how to conduct mass-casualty attacks through online material.

The 65-year-old, a Somali-born citizen, is accused of sending more than 10,000 documents, messages, images, videos, and audio files related to executions and torture.

Authorities allege the man pledged allegiance to ISIS and acted on behalf of the group without traveling to its controlled territories in the Middle East.

The scale of the extremist material he is accused of sharing places him among the top propagandists on the encrypted messaging platform he used, according to officials.

The man was arrested at his home in Carlton, Melbourne, on September 23. He is expected to face charges of being a member of a terrorist organization, possessing extremist material, and using a carriage service to cause offense.

The arrest followed an investigation that began with a referral from the Australian Border Force, which intercepted the man at Melbourne Airport in November 2020 as he left for Egypt.

A search of his mobile phone uncovered suspicious content, leading to the seizure of the device, though he was allowed to continue his travel to Egypt.