The arrest of a man in Australia who allegedly planned a terrorist attack on public buildings and mosques was "deeply shocking," Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said late Friday.
The 20-year-old appeared in Perth Magistrates Court on Friday, facing five charges, including one of acting in preparation for a terrorist act.
It followed an investigation into his online activities and a search of the home in the small town of Bindoon, around 75 kilometres (45 miles) north of Perth.
Western Australia Police Force said officers seized firearms, gas masks, a ballistic vest and a manifesto describing plans for a "mass casualty event" from the house where the man lived with his parents.
Police said targets outlined in a notebook included Muslim places of worship, as well as Western Australia's Parliament House and police headquarters.
In a post on X late on Friday, Albanese said there was no place in Australia "for any kind of racially or religiously-motivated prejudice or hate".
"The arrest of a WA man over an alleged racially-motivated terrorist plot is deeply shocking," he wrote.
"Allegations the man was planning to target the Muslim community through attacks on mosques - as well as attacks on the WA police and parliament - are particularly distressing."
The man is also facing charges for firearms offences, possession of a prohibited weapon and online harassment.
Western Australia Police Commissioner Col Blanch said investigators believe the man was acting alone.