Originally Posted by Reuters

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australian authorities believe they have foiled a major terrorist attack, arresting 15 people on Tuesday during raids in the country's two biggest cities of Sydney and Melbourne.

The arrests come less than a week after Prime Minster John Howard said Australia received intelligence about a "terrorist threat".

"We believe ... we've disrupted a large-scale operation which, had it been allowed to go through to fruition, we certainly believe would have been catastrophic," New South Wales Police Commissioner Ken Moroney told Australian television.

The Australian Federal Police said 23 house searches were carried out under warrants in suburbs in Sydney and Melbourne early on Tuesday as part of a joint counter-terrorism operation with New South Wales and Victoria state police and the Australian Security Intelligence Organization.

Several searches were still under way, a Federal Police spokesman told Reuters.

"Nine men have been arrested and charged in Melbourne with terrorism related offences, some of which include intentionally being a member of a terrorist organization ... and intentionally directing the activities of a terrorist organization," he said.

Six men had been arrested in Sydney, but had not yet been charged, the spokesman said.

Australia's parliament rushed through urgent amendments to anti-terrorism laws last Thursday to allow police to charge people in the early stages of planning an attack.

Australia, a staunch U.S. ally with troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, has never suffered a major peacetime attack on home soil. The country has been on medium security alert since shortly after the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States.

(Additional reporting by Michelle Nichols in Canberra)

© Reuters 2005. All Rights Reserved.

Originally Posted by article

"Nine men have been arrested and charged in Melbourne with terrorism related offences, some of which include intentionally being a member of a terrorist organization ... and intentionally directing the activities of a terrorist organization,"

Originally Posted by nKoan

so, if I was unintentionally directing the activities of a terrorist organization, what exactly would I be doing?

Originally Posted by nKoan

so, if I was unintentionally directing the activities of a terrorist organization, what exactly would I be doing?

Originally Posted by nKoan

so, if I was unintentionally directing the activities of a terrorist organization, what exactly would I be doing?

Originally Posted by sperry

The law is probably written like that, so if you're say, holding the door open for an old lady, and like three terrorists run through, you're not charged with "aiding a terrorist".

Originally Posted by AtomicLabMonkey

You probably would be in this country. Maybe we could learn something from Australia...

Originally Posted by sperry

The loss of our personal rights are a necessary sacrifice we have to make to keep our great nation secure! I for one welcome our new police state overlords and the soylent green they plan to feed us to keep budget avaiable for our missle defense network!

Originally Posted by sperry

Well, apparently we've got such a big terrorism problem that we should be arrested for holding the door open for 'em. The loss of our personal rights are a necessary sacrifice we have to make to keep our great nation secure! I for one welcome our new police state overlords and the soylent green they plan to feed us to keep budget avaiable for our missle defense network!

Originally Posted by MikeK

Sadly, our prime minister, whose main ambition in life is to have horsey rides in George Bush's lap,

Originally Posted by tysonK

right after his laps in the v8 supercar series.

Originally Posted by MikeK

I spent a bit of time in my friend's 500 Hp monaro ... imagine a flat torque curve and no turbo lag! Now it feels like I am driving around in the STi with the handbrake on. I thought it would just be a straight line queen, but it rails around corners, and has HUGE brakes.

I wonder what it would cost to swap a v8 into a subaru? :)

Originally Posted by MikeK

I wonder what it would cost to swap a v8 into a subaru? :)

Originally Posted by nKoan

Your immortal soul. Just sign on the dotted line in blood please.

Seriously though, Perrin looked like they had a tough enough time putting the flat 6cyl into the Impreza chasis. I imagine packaging would be quite tight and would need some major work.

Originally Posted by nKoan

Wow. I figured the flat configuration was inheriently bigger, but I didn't realize it was that much.

Originally Posted by sperry

It allows for a much lower CG, and a shorter depth (which is good for the way Subaru does their AWD with the motor completely in front of the front axle), but yeah, a flat motor isn't the most efficient use of space, especially w/ DOHC.

Originally Posted by sperry

Well, apparently we've got such a big terrorism problem that we should be arrested for holding the door open for 'em. The loss of our personal rights are a necessary sacrifice we have to make to keep our great nation secure! I for one welcome our new police state overlords and the soylent green they plan to feed us to keep budget avaiable for our missle defense network!

Originally Posted by JC

HEY, that missle defense network gives people like me jobs.

Originally Posted by sperry

And totally necessary, because the weapon of choice for terrorist groups with limited funding are clearly intercontinental balistic missiles! ;)

Originally Posted by JC

You can get them pretty cheap in Russia. Some people in my class are working on a defense system against NK missles actually.