Australia's top IS recruiter "has been killed"

(THE STRAITSTIMES)Australia'smostseniorrecruiterfortheIslamicStateinIraqandSyria(IS)group,whowasreportedlylinkedtoanallegedplottoattackAnzacDaycommemorations,hasbeenkilled,localmediasaidyesterday.

ThenewscameasSaudiArabiareportedyesterdaythatRiyadhhaddetained33suspects,includingnineAmericans,onterrorismchargesoverthepastweek.

NewsofNeilPrakash'sdeathwaspostedonsecurecommunicationsappTelegram,Melbourne'sHeraldSunreported,citinganISISmember.

"ItwaspostedonTelegram,"themember,whowasnotnamed,toldthenewspaper."Ididnotknowhim,butIheard."

Thenewspapersaidtherewerenodetailsabouthow,whenandwherePrakash,wholeftAustraliain2013,waskilled.

AspokesmanforAustralia'sAttorney-GeneralGeorgeBrandissaidthegovernment"cannotconfirmreportsofthedeathofNeilPrakashatthistimebecauseoftheserioussecuritysituationinSyriaandIraq".

Prakash-alsoknownasAbuKhaledal-Cambodi-waslinkedtotheallegedplotonAnzacDay,whenAustraliahonoursitswardead.

SevdetBesim,19,isfacingfourchargesrelatedtoplanningtheallegedattackonApril25lastyear.

A15-year-oldboyinBritainwasinOctobersentencedtoaminimumoffiveyearsinjailforincitingBesimtocarryouta"majorterroristplot"attheevent.

Canberralifteditsterrorthreatleveltohighin2014,conductedcounter-terrorismraidsandintroducednewnationalsecuritylawsamidfearsofhome-grownextremism.

ThegovernmenthasalsocrackeddownonnationalsattemptingtotraveltoconflictzonesincludingSyriaandIraq.

InSaudiArabia,theEnglish-languagedailySaudiGazettesaidfourAmericansweredetainedonMondayandanotherfiveinthefollowingdays,alongwith14Saudis,threeYemenis,twoSyrians,anIndonesian,aFilipino,aUnitedArabEmiratescitizen,aPalestinianandacitizenofKazakhstan.

TheAmericanembassydidnotimmediatelyrespondtoarequestforcomment.

SaudiArabiain2014declaredISISaterroristorganisationandhasdetainedhundredsofitssupporters.Thegroup,whichcontrolsterritoryinIraqandSyria,hasstagedaseriesofattacksinthekingdom.

OnFriday,anattackataShi'iteMuslimmosqueinSaudiArabia'sal-AhsadistrictinEasternProvincekilledfourpeopleandinjured18,thelatestinastringofattacksclaimedbySunnimilitantsthathaveleftover50deadinthepastyear.

ThewebsiteoftheInteriorMinistry'smilitantrehabilitationcentrelistedfourUScitizensashavingbeendetainedlastMondayandfourmoreoverthepreviousthreemonths.

Itdidnotyetlistanymorerecentdetentions.