A man charged with terror offences planned to create an Islamic State (IS) base in the Blue Mountains and encourage fighters to launch “guerilla-stye” attacks in Sydney, court documents allege. Isaak el Matari, 20, had his matter heard in Parramatta Local Court this Thursday charged with three offences including being a member of IS and preparing a terrorist act. He …

One of the three men arrested during counterterrorism raids in Sydney’s west this morning was planning an attack on prominent Harbour City buildings, police allege. Isaak el Matari, 20, was taken into custody this morning as part of the operation, which targeted suburbs including Canada Bay, Chester Hill, Greenacre, Green Valley, Ingleburn and Toongabbie. Police allege he had a range …

The catfish stalker convicted of using a soap star’s profile to harass and stalk women online will remain free on bail until her appeal is heard in October 2020. Lydia Abdelmalek, who was sentenced to two years and eight months’ jail earlier this month, reappeared in court this morning before her family clashed with media outside. Her father used an …

Firefighters say they were beaten back by flames as they tried to save a young family from an “intense” house fire in Singleton in the NSW Hunter Valley which has left three children dead. Two five-year-old twin girls, Matilda and Scarlett Rinkin, were taken to Singleton Hospital but could not be saved and the body of their 11-year-old brother was later …

US President Donald Trump says he is not looking for war with Iran but has warned that if a conflict did occur, it would result in “obliteration”. “I’m not looking for war, and if there is it’ll be obliteration like you’ve never seen before. But I’m not looking to do that,” Mr Trump told NBC News in an interview a …

A man abused by notorious paedophile Christian Brother Edward “Ted” Dowlan is suing George Pell, alleging the disgraced Cardinal did nothing to protect him. The man was a student at East Melbourne’s Cathedral College when he was abused by Dowlan, who was first jailed in the 1990s for abusing boys in the 1970s and 1980s. Taking civil action in the …

Australian Federal Police officers are raiding the ABC’s Sydney headquarters over a series of 2017 stories known as The Afghan Files. The stories, by ABC investigative journalists Dan Oakes and Sam Clark, revealed allegations of unlawful killings and misconduct by Australian special forces in Afghanistan and were based off hundreds of pages of secret Defence documents leaked to the ABC. The …

A man has gone on a stabbing rampage at a bus stop near Tokyo, leaving two people dead and more than a dozen injured. A sixth grade schoolgirl and man in his 30s were killed, the Japan Timesreports, while another 15 victims were also school children. National broadcaster NHK said the suspect detained at the scene died later after turning the …

A head-on collision involving a car and truck has killed a mother and her four children near Kingaroy, north-west of Brisbane. Queensland police said the crash happened when a Nissan station wagon being driven by Charmaine Harris McLeod tried to overtake a truck on the Bunya Highway at Kumbia, just before 7.30pm on Monday. The car and oncoming truck collided …

Sri Lankan authorities have confirmed one of the suicide bombers responsible for the Easter Sunday terrorist attacks attended an Australian university. Sri Lankan Junior Minister for Defence Ruwan Wijewardene said the bomber completed his post-graduate education in Australia. It comes after the death toll was revised up to 359 earlier today. “What I can say is this group, some of …