Patently Apple posted three reports mid-month regarding new laws proposed by the Australia government compelling companies like Apple and Facebook to provide access to encrypted messages. Australia's Attorney-General met with Apple Officials to discuss the topics of Cyber Security and Decryption while Apple flew in top brass to lobby against the proposed laws. Australia's Prime Minister spoke about the encryption problem with the Australian press and it sounded as though a showdown on this issue was on the horizon. The heat will now likely be turned up as the Australian authorities foiled a terror plot overnight that was aimed at bringing down a plane. Four individuals associated with the plot have been arrested according to new reports published today.  

The UK's Telegraph reports that "Police disrupted a terrorist plot to bring down an airplane and arrested four men on Saturday in raids on homes in several Sydney suburbs, the prime minister said.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said on Sunday that security had been increased at Sydney Airport since Thursday because of the plot. The increased security measures had been extended to all major international and domestic terminals around Australia overnight.

'I can report last night that there has been a major joint counterterrorism operation to disrupt a terrorist plot to bring down an airplane,' Turnbull told reporters. 'The operation is continuing.'"

The report further noted that Australian Federal Police Commissioner Andrew Colvin stated that 'There was no evidence that airport security had been compromised. We believe it's Islamic-inspired terrorism.

New South Wales Police Commissioner Mick Fuller said police agreed they had to act on Saturday night because the threat was imminent.

"The reality with terrorism, ... (is) you can't wait until you put the whole puzzle together," Fuller said. "If you get it wrong, the consequences are severe."

Other reports covering this today include: the Weekend Australian, the BBC and France 24 (English video).

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull will more than likely use this incident as yet another case as to why they need tech companies to understand that encryption for communication apps are the enemy of law enforcement that must be addressed once and for all.

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