Australian police have arrested at least four men in the southern city of Melbourne. They were allegedly planning to carry out a suicide attack on a defense establishment in the country.

The operation involved about 400 police officers, with an investigation team of 150 people working on it since January.

Australians of Somali and Lebanese descent are among the detained suspects.

Earlier, "The Australian" newspaper said in an unsourced report that authorities believe the group was at an advanced stage of preparations on a mission to use automatic weapons to storm an Australian army base.

Tony Negus, Acting Commissioner, Australian Federal Police, said, "Police will allege that the men were planning to carry out suicide terrorist attack on a defense establishment within Australia involving an armed assault with automatic weapons. Details of the planning indicated the alleged offenders were preparing to inflict a sustained attack on military personnel until made themselves killed. The investigation also identified Australian citizens travel to Somalia to participate in hostilities in their country. The alleged members of the group have been actively seeking a fatwa or religious ruling to justify the group's plan to conduct a terrorist act in Australia."

(CCTV August 5, 2009)