Police thwart jihadist copycat beheading plot in Australia

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• JUDY WOODRUFF:

  Now to the Islamic State group's shocking plot in Australia.

  The Sunni militant group reportedly planned on beheading a citizen there, before authorities thwarted the mission. The raids across Sydney, at 12 locations, were the largest in Australia's history; 800 federal and state police officers swarmed residential areas, initially detaining 15 people.

• ANDREW SCIPIONE, Commissioner, New South Wales Police Force:

  The violence was to be perpetrated on a member of the public on the streets, and certainly at this stage was at a very high level.

• JUDY WOODRUFF:

  Nine suspects were let go. Six others were held, including 22-year-old Omarjan Azari, who appeared in court. Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said intelligence indicated supporters of Islamic State, or ISIL, planned to behead a random person in public.

• TONY ABBOTT, Prime Minister, Australia:

  Exhortations, quite direct exhortation were coming from an Australian who is apparently quite senior in ISIL to networks of support back in Australia to conduct demonstration killings here in this country. So this is not just suspicion. This is intent. And that's why the police and security agencies decided to act in the way they have.

• JUDY WOODRUFF:

  Sydney residents, especially those living near the suspects' homes, were unnerved.

• MAN:

  We grew up in this area, and not once did we ever think we were going to have terrorists living in our backyard. So now that obviously we can see it happening, of course it's scary, you know, especially bring up our own children around here now. It's scary.

• WOMAN:

  Scary? Well, let's put it this way. The world is a very small place now. And thinking Australia is immune to something like this is just not an option. Complacency gets you into trouble.

• JUDY WOODRUFF:

  The raids came hours before Prime Minister Abbott met with Australian troops leaving for the Middle East to support a coalition fighting the Islamic State.