Plan to overthrow Australian government thwarted by terrorism police
There has been a lot of comment on this video. You can see the comments below the video
However, my attention was pointed to this.
A plan to overthrow the Morrison government and arrest senior MPs and bureaucrats has been thwarted by counter-terrorism police.
TVNZ,
The bizarre plot also involved setting up an alternative police force and the manufacture of 470 fake Australian Federal Police badges found dumped in a creek in Cairns.
One man has been arrested in Perth and other arrests are expected in coming days.
The group is allegedly behind a fake video circulating online and purportedly from AFP Commissioner Reece Kershaw, calling on people to join the AFP and overthrow the federal government.
One man arrested in Perth at the weekend has been charged with one count of impersonating a Commonwealth public official.
AFP Acting Assistant Commissioner Andrew Donoghoe said the man claimed to be a Commonwealth official during an unsuccessful attempt to obtain stamps and ID badges, bearing the official AFP logo, from a commercial business.
“We are also aware of a shipment of three boxes of replica AFP badges consigned to a house in Cairns.
These were found dumped in a local creek and recovered by the Queensland Police,” he said.
There were 470 badges in all.
“Inquiries are continuing to ensure no other badges are in possession of this group or any of their associates.
“We have no evidence that this group has the ability or capability to commit violent acts to overthrow the government.
“But the behaviour of these people is extremely concerning and we are continuing our investigation to identify any criminal offences as a result.”
Donoghoe said the fake video circulating online demonstrated that “they wanted to establish a separate Australian Federal Police force”.
“They had issued several warrants for a number of high-profile government people and they intended to execute those arrest warrants on those people,” he said.
He described the video as complete and utter nonsense with no truth or credibility.
The operation to dismantle the group followed a two-week investigation with raids carried out over the weekend in Perth, Brisbane, Townsville, Cairns and rural South Australia.
More arrests are expected.
Australian man charged for impersonating police officer in bizarre video plotting to oust government
Australian authorities announced on Monday that a 49-year-old man from Perth was arrested at the weekend for his involvement in a conspiracy video that gained significant attention online over the last two weeks.
The man in the footage, claiming to be police commissioner Reece Kershaw, says that several Australian institutions, including the army, were planning to “bear arms on the government.” The recording also claimed that the group was operating as a separate division within the AFP, and that the branch had issued arrest warrants for several prominent government officials.
The police, alongside counter-terrorism teams, were able to identify the suspect by his voice in the footage. The authorities had also been made aware of the shipment of hundreds of replica police badges which were later found by the Queensland police after they were dumped in a creek. It was discovered that the suspect is part of a wider online hub of people that discuss their plans to oust the federal government.
The assistant commissioner of the AFP’s Counter Terrorism unit, Scott Lee, called the incident “concerning.” Lee, however, stated that the authorities “have found no evidence this group has the ability – or has actually attempted – to carry out specific violent acts in support of statements made by members of this group.”
The alleged perpetrator of the conspiracy video is set to attend court in Perth on August 16. If the man is found guilty, he could face up to two years in prison for the crime of impersonating a commonwealth public official.
Australia has seen a recent increase in civil unrest following the extensions of lockdowns. Thousands of protesters took to the streets of major Australian cities, including Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, on July 24, demonstrating against the government’s Covid-19 curbs and making demands for “freedom.”
