Three nationals face jail terms over Australia Christmas terror plot

A court in Australia has sentenced three men to decades in prison for plotting bomb attacks on Christmas day in 2016 at key sites in the southeastern city of Melbourne.

The men were found guilty last year of planning the attacks in Australia’s second city in what authorities called an imminent terrorist event inspired by militant group Islamic state.

The Australian federal police said in a statement.

A 24-year-old man, Hamza Abbas, was jailed for 22 years, while two others Ahmed Mohamed, and Abdullah Chaarani, were jailed for 38 years including sentences for another attack.

Supreme Court judge Christopher Beale said the three had embraced Islamic state ideology and believed the planned attack would be pleasing to Allah.

It was not immediately clear if the men would appeal their sentences.

Police said one of the men was an Egyptian-born Australian and the others were Australian-born of Lebanese descent.