Australian police have made arrests in Sydney and Brisbane, in what they say is the nation's biggest counter-terrorism operation.
More than 600 heavily armed officers raided properties in the two cities. Police said the operation was ongoing, giving no further details.
Last week the country raised its terror threat level from medium to high.
The move comes in response to growing concern over the domestic impact of militant conflicts in Iraq and Syria.
'No specific intelligence'
Police said the raids were being carried out in the western parts of Sydney and Brisbane's south.
Officials declined to say exactly how many people were arrested. Further updates are expected later on Thursday.
Separately, in one part of Sydney, death threats were shouted from a car bearing a flag of Islamic State militants near a church, Australia's Sydney Morning Herald reported.
A local priest was quoted as saying the people in the vehicle threatened to 'kill the Christians'.
Last week, Prime Minister Tony Abbott said the country had raised its terror threat level to high amid concerns of the growing number of Australians 'working with, connected to or inspired by' Islamist groups.
But he said: 'I want to stress that this does not mean that a terror attack is imminent. We have no specific intelligence of particular plots.'
Officials say dozens of Australians have gone to fight for jihadist groups such as Islamic State and Jabhat al-Nusra (also known as the al-Nusra Front) in the Middle East.
Officials are worried about the impact of both returning fighters and supporters of these groups on domestic security.
At least 60 Australians are believed to be fighting with jihadist groups in Syria and northern Iraq, and 15 Australians have been killed so far in these conflicts, including two suicide bombers.
About 100 more Australians are thought to be actively supporting these groups, they say.
Last week, police raided an Islamic centre in Queensland and arrested two men.
It is the first time Australia has moved from medium to high - the second-highest rank - since the threat level system was introduced in 2003.
'Medium' means an attack could occur. 'High' means an attack is likely and 'extreme' means an attack is imminent or has occurred.
Posted by Unknown on Wednesday, September 17, 2014 - Rating: 4.5
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