The plan was to detonate an improvised explosive device (IED) concealed in a suitcase twenty minutes into an Abu-Dhabi-bound flight with 400 passengers aboard.
[2] According to Machnouk, the alleged motive was to punish the United Arab Emirates and Australia for being part of the US-led coalition against Islamic State.
[3] On 29 July 2017, the Australian Federal Police conducted raids on five properties in response to suspicion of an Islamist inspired terrorist attack plot on an aeroplane.
Four suspects were arrested and authorities sought a court ruling to hold the men for the duration of the property searches before laying any potential charges.
Andrew Colvin, the Australian Federal Police Commissioner, told reporters at a news conference: "In recent days, law enforcement has become aware of information that suggested some people in Sydney were planning to commit a terrorist attack using an IED (improvised explosive device)," adding that specific information was not yet available and that the investigation will be "long and protracted".