Two men arrested in plot to 'bring down an plane with homemade bomb' are CHARGED with terrorism offences - as a third man remains in police custodyDaily Mail/UK, Aug 3, 2017
Two alleged terrorists arrested over a plot to blow up a Sydney flight with 500 passengers on board have been charged.
Khaled and Mahmoud Khayat will each face two counts of terrorism-related charges, while a third man remains in police custody.
He is held under special anti-terror laws, while police investigations continue. He can be detained until the weekend under the current ruling.
'A 49-year-old Lakemba man and a 32-year-old Punchbowl man have each been charged with two counts of acts done in preparation for, or planning, a terrorist act,' Australian Federal Police said in a statement on Thursday.
They are due to face Parramatta Court on Friday morning, and if found guilty could face life behind bars.
A fourth man arrested over the alleged plot, Abdul Merhi, 50, was released without charge on Monday night.
It comes after it was revealed the alleged plot was thwarted at the last minute by staff at Sydney Airport's check-in desk because a bag allegedly containing a bomb was too heavy to carry on board.
Having allegedly picked an international flight as their target, the men were forced into a last-minute change of plans when the baggage wasn't allowed on the plane.
Neither the passenger or the bag ever made its way onto the passenger jet, which is believed to have been an Etihad Airways flight leaving Sydney for Abu Dhabi.
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