Peter Dutton confirms Israel helped Australia stop ‘airliner terror attack’

Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton has confirmed Israel helped Australian authorities thwart an alleged plot to blow up an airliner flying out of Sydney last year.

His comments followed remarks by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday that Israeli intelligence services had prevented the downing of an “Australian airliner” as part of wide-ranging international intelligence-sharing.

Referring to the case last July of an alleged plot to bring down an Etihad Airways plane, Mr Dutton confirmed Israel had provided the original tip-off to Australian intelligence officials.

“I can confirm it. In doing so I want to thank the Israelis very much. Obviously we’ve got a very close working relationship with them,” he told Sky News on Thursday.

Read the story in the Sydney Morning Herald (with Reuters, AAP) and the Brisbane Times.