Sydney Man Charged With Terror Offence After Police Find Extremist Material

NSW Police say extremist material was found after officers examined phones seized in a New Year’s Eve stop.

New South Wales (NSW) police tape can be seen across a road in Sydney, Australia, on Sept. 1, 2025. David Gray/AFP via Getty Images

A 31-year-old man has been charged with terrorism-related offences after police allegedly found violent extremist material on a mobile phone seized during a traffic stop.

The investigation began on Dec. 31, 2025, when officers attached to State Crime Command’s Raptor Squad Traffic and Highway Patrol were patrolling in Yagoona, in Sydney’s south west

Police stopped a Toyota sedan on Dargan Street and searched the vehicle.

During the search, officers allegedly located drugs, cash and three mobile phones.

The man was arrested and taken to Bankstown Police Station, where he was charged with several offences, including supplying a prohibited drug.

Extremist Material Alleged

Police said further inquiries continued after the arrest.

Officers later examined the three phones seized with assistance from the Counter Terrorism and Special Tactics Command.

Police allege violent extremist material was stored on one of the devices.

About 6 a.m. on Feb. 18, 2026, officers from Raptor Squad Traffic and Highway Patrol—supported by the squad’s Operational Support Group—executed a Commonwealth warrant at a home in Bass Hill.

During the search, police allegedly seized multiple mobile phones and storage devices, as well as a knife.

The 31-year-old man was arrested again and taken to Bankstown Police Station.

He was charged with use carriage service—possess violent extremist material and possess or use a prohibited weapon without permit.

National Security Context

The charges come as police agencies continue to warn about the risks posed by violent extremism and the potential for lone-actor attacks.

Last month, a 31-year-old man was charged in Western Australia after police alleged he threw a “fragment bomb” filled with ball bearings and screws at a crowd of about 2,500 people gathered in central Perth on Jan. 26.

Western Australian Premier Roger Cook said it was the first time such a charge had been laid in the state, and warned it could have caused a large number of deaths.

In a separate case, a 24-year-old man was accused of planning to throw a Molotov cocktail at an Australia Day crowd on the Gold Coast, in what police allege was part of a plot to overthrow the government.

That man was arrested and charged with one count of acts done in preparation for, or planning, terrorist acts.

Authorities have not suggested the cases are connected.

Australian Federal Police Commissioner Krissy Barrett said the cases reflect a broader national security concern, warning that individuals and emerging groups were contributing to social division.