Higher terror level gives comfort
Queensland's premier says Australia's heightened terror alert should make people feel more comfortable.
Campbell Newman made the comments as new reports emerge that Gold Coast raised woman Amira Karroum was armed and fighting when she was shot and butchered in Syria.
"There are Queenslanders who sadly have gone overseas and some have lost their lives," he told reporters in Brisbane on Sunday.
Mr Newman said Prime Minister Tony Abbott's raising of Australia's terror alert level from medium to high last week was not a cause for alarm.
"People should take comfort that the authorities, both federal and state, are on the case," he said.
"The fact that there's been arrests, the fact that the prime minister has raised the threat level so that we can appropriately respond, should give Queenslanders every comfort that we're intent on making sure this is the safest place in the world to live and to raise your family."
Two men faced Brisbane Magistrates Court last week charged with breaching the Crimes (Foreign Incursion and Recruitment) Act.
Omar Succarieh, 31, is alleged to have raised money for Syria-based extremist group Jabhat al-Nusra, while Agim Kruezi, 21, is accused of recruiting for the jihadist Islamic State and obtaining funds to fight in Syria.
An arrest warrant was issued last week for a former Sydney nightclub bouncer identified as the most senior Australian member of the Islamic State terrorist group.
The Afghan refugee, who is also a part-time actor, has helped send scores of Australian fighters to the wars in Syria and Iraq, an ABC investigation found.
Authorities say 33-year-old Mohammad Ali Baryalei has a trusted position in Islamic State operational command and has been involved in the recruitment of at least 30 Australians for the conflicts.
