Anti-terrorism police have charged a Melbourne man with attempting to travel to northern Iraq to fight with Kurdish forces against Islamic State.
Jamie Williams, 28, from the northern suburb of Epping, appeared briefly in Melbourne Magistrates Court on Tuesday following his arrest on Monday night by the Melbourne Joint Counter Terrorism Team.
Mr Williams, who was wearing a black T-shirt with the words "War Dog" and an illustration of a wolf on the front and the stars of the Southern Cross on the back, did not apply for bail and was remanded in custody.
Mr Williams is charged with a single count of engaging in conduct to prepare to enter a foreign country with the intention of engaging in hostile activity.
A charge sheet tendered to court alleges he engaged in that conduct between December 1 and 28 last year.
He is due to return to court in October.
Defence counsel Rob Stary said outside court that his client would apply for bail soon, but did not comment further.
Investigators believe Mr Williams was preparing to depart Australia in December last year to fight with Kurdish-aligned forces.
Border Force anti-terrorism members allegedly identified him as a potential foreign fighter three days after Christmas, when he tried to board a flight at Melbourne Airport bound for Qatar.
Military-style equipment and clothing was allegedly found in his luggage and investigators say he stated his final destination was northern Iraq.
It sparked a joint Australian Federal Police and Victoria Police counter-terrorism investigation.
AFP Assistant Commissioner Neil Gaughan said planning to travel to Syria or Iraq to support the conflict was illegal and highly dangerous.
"There have been numerous warnings against participating in the current conflict in Syria and Iraq, and while this individual did not actually travel, people need to be aware that actively planning and undertaking preparations to travel to the conflict area still constitutes a criminal offence," Assistant Commissioner Gaughan said.
"Obtaining appropriate evidence to put before the courts in matters such as this is a challenging and time-consuming process, but the AFP and its partner agencies will not hesitate to investigate and prosecute individuals who choose to ignore the repeated warnings of the government, police and the community."
with Rania Spooner
