Australian terror suspect to be held for another 100 hours without charge

An 18-year-old man arrested in Sydney's anti-terror raids in connection with the murder of police accountant Curtis Cheng in an act of terror will be held for another 100 hours despite no charges being laid.

Though the Australian authorities are only permitted to hold a suspect for 24 hours without charge, investigators can apply for an extension of 100 hours of questioning when it concerns a matter of terrorism, local media reported on Friday.

Lawyers for the Australian Federal Police applied in court late on Thursday to extend the length of time the 18-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, can be held so they can obtain and preserve evidence related to the shooting.

Lawyers, however, have told Australia's national broadcaster the actions of investigators to continually hold the 18-year-old could amount to an act of torture as the 100-hour countdown pauses when the man eats, sleeps or contacts his lawyers.

"The difficulty with these laws is that the Australian Federal Police or state police can get permission from a court to get 100 hours of questioning in circumstances where that 100 hours can be spread over a number of days," Australian Lawyers Alliance spokesman Greg Barns told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).

"So they could theoretically do two or three hours today, they could do another 10 hours over the weekend and well into next week.

"It's extremely concerning for a number of reasons; firstly, this young man is a youth."

"Secondly, the rights of lawyers in these types of cases to ensure that their client is safe are extremely limited, and thirdly, you have to say that any information that's gathered from a person in circumstances where they've been held incommunicado, they are young and vulnerable you have to wonder about the quality of any information that is gathered."

"It in some circumstances could certainly amount to torture."

It is expected the 18-year-old will be released on Monday.

The same legal provision has been previously used against a Queensland doctor who was held in 2007 on suspicion of being involved in a terrorist attack on Glasgow airport.

The case on the doctor fell apart and late won significant compensation from the Australian government, ABC reported.

Three other men arrested in connection with the raids where 200 heavily armed officers stormed several homes in response to the shooting of the 58-year-old accountant outside police headquarters in Parramatta were released on Wednesday.

A radicalized school student from Arthur Phillip High School in western Sydney, 15-year old Fahrad Jabar executed New South Wales (NSW) police accountant Curtis Cheng on Friday afternoon in what officials have described as an act of terrorism.

The 18-year old, a 16-year old who also cannot be named for legal reasons - who was arrested and then released in Wednesday's raids - attended the same school.

The two others released, Mustafa Dirani and Talal Alameddine, both 22, had also previously attended Arthur Phillip High School.

The Authorities believe the four men, who were targets of previous terror raids in September, recruited "a poor, vulnerable" Jabar to carry out the act of terror because they feared they were under too much surveillance.

It has been suggested the men groomed Jabar like paedophiles groom children so he would carry out the attack.

It is believed Jabar who was described as a quite cheerful student and vigilantly attended mosque was drawn into the extremist circles by his 16-year-old classmate at Arthur Phillip High School.

Arthur Phillip High School is 300 meters from where Cheng was shot outside of the Parramatta Police station.

Opposition politicians on Friday called for a parliamentary inquiry into the radicalization of Australia's school children in response to the terror attack in Sydney.

"To see a 15 year old commit such a horrific act is truly disturbing, we need to be sure that students are never exposed to this kind of radicalization in schools," NSW opposition education spokesperson Linda Burney said in a statement on Friday.

NSW Premier Mike Baird has asked his education department to expedite its work in de-radicalization programs that have been in the formulating stages for some months following an audit into school prayer groups throughout the state.

The audit was triggered by media reports in July showing student at Epping Boys High School in the north of Sydney may have preached extremist interpretations of Islam.

Former federal minister for Education and now Industry Minister Christopher Pyne refuted suggestions school prayer groups were gateways to extremism and should be banned.

"I don't think prayer is the problem," Pyne told Australia's Nine Network on Friday.

"Radicalization is the problem and that's why, when I was education minister, I asked the state and territory ministers to join with me in a de-radicalization program in schools."

"Let's not address the wrong issue, let's address the right issue." Enditem