A South Coast man with alleged neo-Nazi interests has been arrested by counter-terrorism police and charged with planning a terrorist act.
Joshua Bruce Lucas faced Nowra Local Court on Monday where he did not apply for bail and it was formally refused.
It’s alleged the 21-year-old Sanctuary Point man had been planning to purchase military equipment, including guns to make an improvised explosive device.
Police believe Lucas had been looking to target an electrical substation on the South Coast with the improvised explosive.
Police said other options may have been considered by the man.
The 21-year-old was arrested during a raid at the man’s home on Saturday.
He was charged with one count of acts done in preparation or planning for a terrorist act, which carries a maximum of life in prison.
Police prosecutor Phil Morrison applied for and was granted a suppression order over some of the facts handed up to Magistrate Gabriel Fleming. It is understood the suppression order covers some of the operational activities during the investigation.
An application was made to have the matter heard in a Sydney court at a later date.
Further searches were carried out in the town of Parma, near Nowra, on the NSW South Coast.
Police said they began investigating in February when they became aware of several extreme right wing and anti-government posts online allegedly made by the man.
Read the article by Andrew Brown, Robert Crawford in The Canberra Times.