Boy, 15, one of five charged over alleged Australia terror plot

(CNN)

A 15-year-old boy is among five suspects charged with conspiracy to plan a terrorist attack in Sydney following a series of counterterrorism raids across the city, according to Australian officials.

Announcing the charges on Thursday, Australian police said they were becoming increasingly concerned about the growing number of teenagers becoming radicalized in the country.

“It’s disturbing that we are continuing to see teenage children in this environment,” said Catherine Burn, NSW Police deputy commissioner for special operations.

“We are charging a 15 year old with a very, very serious offense. This is an offense that has a maximum of life imprisonment. This is concerning not only to us, in law enforcement, this should be concerning to everybody,” she added.

The Australian Federal Police’s (AFP) deputy commissioner for national security, Michael Phelan, said two of the suspects — a 20-year-old man and the teenage boy — had been arrested during Thursday’s raids and later charged with one count each of conspiracy to conduct an act in preparation for a terrorist act. The AFP said that three other men, one aged 21 and two aged 22, were already in custody and faced the same conspiracy charge.

One of the 22-year old men was scheduled to appear before a Sydney local court on Thursday afternoon. The other two men had been refused police bail and are scheduled to appear in court to face the charges on Wednesday, 16 December, according to an AFP statement.

Phelan said the five men were part of a “radicalized” group that were allegedly planning attacks on specific government buildings in Australia, including the AFP headquarters in Sydney.

The charges stem from a broader investigation, called Operation Appleby, and relate to documents seized in raids conducted across western Sydney in September and December 2014, as well as physical and electronic surveillance.

The alleged plan to target government buildings was the second specific plot identified in these raids. Charges have already been laid against the organizers of the the first plot, which police said involved plans to target a random member of the public.

“It started last year with an alleged terror plot to conduct an attack in Sydney, and with the additional charges today we are saying that there was a further alleged plot that was going to be undertaken In Sydney,” said Phelan.