Australia’s prime minister Tony Abbott has said that seven young Australians were recently prevented from leaving the country because of fears that they intended to join terrorists in the Middle East.
Abbott refused to give details to reporters today – including who the seven were or where and when they were intercepted.
The Daily Telegraph reported on August 20 that the largest single group of suspected jihadis to attempt to leave Australia for Syria and Iraq were stopped by counterterrorism authorities at Sydney International Airport on Aug 12. That group comprised five men.
While Border Protection Minister Peter Dutton confirmed that there had been “an incident” at the airport on Aug 12, he refused to divulge further details, claiming that an investigation was ongoing.
Australia has posted counterterrorism units at all international airports since last year.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)