Five men were arrested in Australia’s Queensland state over an alleged plan to take a boat to Indonesia and join the Islamic State (IS) terror group, police said on Wednesday.
The five men were arrested on Tuesday as they were towing a boat towards Cape York, in far north Queensland, ABC Australia reported.
Australian Federal Police (AFP) Deputy Commissioner Neil Gaughan said the men, aged between 21 to 33 years old, were “very committed” to leave the country after previously having their passports cancelled.
“The fact that they’d gone all the way from Melbourne, all the way to far north Queensland, indicates that these people were extremely committed in … their attempt to leave the country,” he said.
AFP alleged the men purchased the boat in Melbourne before travelling to Queensland.
Under federal law, police have the power to stop people flying abroad if they suspect an individual is seeking to join the fight for or against IS in Syria and Iraq.
No charges have yet been laid against the five men in question.
