Australian Police: ISIS Directed Foiled Bomb Plot on Etihad Airways Flight

A senior ISIS commander directed the foiled bomb plot last month that saw an Australian man send his brother to catch an Etihad Airways flight carrying a bomb he believed was a meat mincer, authorities said Friday in Sydney. In a scheme described as one of “the most sophisticated plots that has ever been attempted on Australian soil,” the man carrying the bomb had no idea it was an explosive device, said Australian Federal Police Deputy Commissioner National Security Michael Phelan. That man ended up boarding the plane without the bag containing the bomb after the suspects abandoned the plan at Sydney Airport. Police arrested four men in connection with the July 15 incident in raids last weekend. Two of them are now facing terror-related charges, and authorities believe they were also planning to build a device to release toxic gas in a public area.