Two Gladstone Park brothers whose home was raided in a Joint Counter Terrorism Team operation in Melbourne’s north overnight say their brother, who is currently in police custody, will deny the allegations.
Mohamad Dabboussi, 20, and Ahmed Dabboussi, 31, claim police assaulted members of their family when they stormed the home about 9.30pm yesterday.
“I was assaulted by a policeman who was saying I was resisting arrest,” the younger Mr Dabboussi told 9NEWS.
“I was kicked with steel-capped boots. I was playing PlayStation and all I heard was police rage in and say ‘get on the ground’ so I laid down, hands behind my back, and that’s when they started assaulting me.”
READ MORE: Seven arrested over alleged Christmas Day terror plot in Melbourne
The Dabboussis’ 21-year-old brother, Zak, is one of the five men in police custody in conjunction with Operation Kastelholm.
Police allege four of the arrested men were involved in “undertaking preparations for planning a terrorist act” set to target iconic Melbourne landmarks including Flinders Street Station and Federation Square.
Ahmed said his brother had done no wrong and would deny the allegations.
“My brother’s a keyboard warrior, he would’ve been defending his religion and his background [on social media]. For example, [writing] ‘we’re not terrorists, enough of this racism’ and that kind of stuff,” Mr Dabboussi said.
The brothers said their young nieces and nephews were left “terrorised” after the raid.
“I can understand they’re doing their job but it’s completely wrong,” Mr Dabboussi said.
Victoria Police said no complaints were made in relation to the raids.
"There is a process in place for anyone wishing to complain about their treatment by police. When executing warrants in high-risk environments, police will take every precaution to ensure the safety of members and the community," a police spokeswoman said in a statement to 9news.com.au.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull condemned the alleged terror threat, urging Australians not to let it change their way of life.
“What these criminals seek to do is to kill. But also, to frighten us and to make us abandon our Australian way of life. We will not let them succeed,” he said.