A video grab shows a man being led into a cell, after being arrested in raids police say foiled a major terrorist attack, in a Sydney police station November 8, 2005.  (Xinhua)

CANBERRA, Nov. 8 (Xinhuanet) -- Sixteen terror suspects arrested Tuesday in the largest anti-terrorism operation ever seen in Australia have been charged with planning a terrorist attack in Australia as Muslim leaders fear the arrests could spark hatred of Australian Muslims.

    Hundreds of police and security officers conducted the raids almost simultaneously in Sydney and Melbourne, capital cities of the states of New South Wales (NSW) and Victoria, arresting seven in Sydney and nine in Melbourne.

    Police also shot and wounded a terror suspect on a street in the south-western Sydney suburb of Green Valley after the man allegedly opened fire on police officers.

    Police believe that the threat posed by those arrested are "very significant," and the raids disrupted "the final stages of a large scale terrorist attack in Australia."

    Prosecutor Richard Maidment QC told the Melbourne Magistrates' Court later Tuesday that members of terror cells in Melbourne and Sydney had discussed making bombs, and had accumulated money, bomb-making chemicals and firearms.

    The men arrested in Melbourne were committed to "violent jihad in Australia," took part in military-style training in Victoria, and were carrying out counter-surveillance after realizing police were monitoring their activities, the court was told.

    Abdul Nacer Benbrika, allegedly headed the Melbourne cell and was also the spiritual leader of the associated Sydney group, was charged with directing the activities of a terrorist organization and being a member of a terrorist organization.

    Maidment also said there was rivalry between the two groups andthe Melbourne cell was keen to surpass their Sydney counterparts who were more advanced in plans for an attack.

    The seven men arrested in Sydney who allegedly conspired to make explosives in preparation for a terrorist attack were taken to Central Local Court of Sydney for a brief hearing later in the day and then were remanded in custody.

    None of the accused appeared in the courtroom and none applied for bail.

    

Australian policemen guard on a street in Sydney as a woman pedestrian uses her mobile phone on Nov. 8, 2005. (Xinhua photo)

The raids came just days after the Australian Parliament rushed through an urgent amendment to the federal anti-terrorism laws following Prime Minister John Howard's announcement that the government has received intelligence about possible terrorist attack in Australia.

    The amendment allows charges against people who plan attacks but who have not yet decided upon a target or a time.

    Howard said Tuesday that swift passage of federal anti-terrorism laws had played a part in the arrests, and praised stateleaders and Opposition Leader Kim Beazley for supporting the amendment.

    Australian Attorney-General Philip Ruddock said that the arrested suspects could be charged under the amendment.

    However, Islamic leaders fear the raids will spark renewed hatred of Australian Muslims.

    Australian Federation of Islamic Councils Chief Executive Amjad Mehboob said the raids had frightened Muslims.

    "It's two-fold, they are frightened about the events that are taking place around them, like everybody else," Mehboob said.

    "But they are doubly concerned about the fallout. This is not going to end speculation about the Muslims and the religious and racial profiling of people which we fear from the new terrorism laws," he said.

    Muslim leaders in Sydney and Melbourne said hate crimes against Muslims had increased in recent weeks, coinciding with the warning about a potential terrorist threat against Australia. Enditem