A Sydney teenager, suspected of trying to travel to Syria to fight for Islamic State, has been arrested in Lebanon and has provided details of other Australians linked to the militants, local officials say.
The Lebanese Internal Security Forces (ISF) said in a statement it had arrested a Lebanese-Australian man, who had lived in Sydney for several years “and embraced extremist ideology”.
It said the man, born in 1999, had become radicalised by watching and reading online material from the terror group and arrived in Lebanon on 20 August.
“After his arrival in Lebanon he connected with members of ‘Daash’ in Syria via the internet,” the ISF statement said.
It said the teenager was detained two days before he was due to depart for Syria and had provided information on other Australian fighters, and supporters and financiers of the militant group.
The ISF claimed the Australian man was linked to an ISIS co-ordinator in a neighbouring country.
The teenager will face a local court at a future date, the statement said.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirmed it was providing consular assistance to an Australian man detained in Lebanon, but would not provide further comment.
THE GUARDIAN
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