( CNN ) Five young men were arrested Saturday in Melbourne , Australia , in what police called a major counterterrorism operation . Three of the teens , all of them either 18 or 19 , have since been released `` pending further enquiries , '' Australia 's Federal Police said , but two remain in custody . Sevdet Besim , 18 , has been charged with conspiring to commit a terrorist act , and was denied bail Saturday . The other suspect , a 19-year-old , has not yet appeared in court . `` Some evidence that we have collected at a couple of the scenes and some other information we have leads us to believe that this particular matter was ISIS-inspired , '' said Neil Gaughan , acting deputy commissioner of the Australian Federal Police . The suspects planned to attack during a major national commemoration in a week , Prime Minister Tony Abbott said Saturday . `` The act that we believe was in preparation involved attacks against police officers , '' he said . There was also a risk to the public , police said . Police said the suspects were targeting a ceremony on Anzac Day ( Australia and New Zealand Army Corps Day ) , which is April 25 and this year is the centennial of the Gallipoli Campaign in World War I. Abbott avoided the term ISIS -- or Islamic State -- to call out those who authorities believed influenced the suspects . He instead referred to the group as the `` Daesh death cult , '' employing the acronym that is transliterated from the group 's name in Arabic . It 's a handle ISIS is known to loathe . Police also distanced the suspects from any ethnic connection . The men `` are individuals acting by themselves . They are not representatives of any religious , cultural or national group , '' Victoria Police Acting Deputy Commissioner Shane Patton said . `` I think the entire Australian community should be concerned about the young age of those particular men , '' Gaughan said . `` And this is an issue not just with law enforcement , but for the broader community . ... We need to get better in relation to identifying young men and woman involved in this type of behavior , at the very early stage . '' The suspects were associates of 18-year-old Nadun Haider , who was killed while stabbing officers at a police station in September , police said . Abbott lamented a string of extremist attacks on Australian soil . In December , Australian authorities stormed a Sydney chocolate cafe where a self-styled Muslim cleric had been holding hostages , killing the gunman . Two of the 17 hostages initially held by the gunman died . In February , two men were charged with plotting terror activities in Sydney . Despite distancing the suspects from religion , Abbott did make a connection to the Middle East . `` There are now about a hundred Australians who are fighting with terrorists in the Middle East , '' and another 150 people in Australia support them with funds and recruiting , the Prime Minister said . In February , Abbott announced tougher citizenship laws as a part of the government 's new counterterrorism strategy . Authorities have suspended Australian passports of those they suspect of terrorist activity . Australians should be stoic about the threat of terrorism , Abbott said Saturday . `` The best thing you can do in the face of those who would do us harm is live your life normally . '' He asked Australians to turn out in droves on Anzac Day . Police said this particular threat had been fully contained .
Three of the five teens released . One 18-year-old suspect has been charged , report says . Australian police said the suspects were allegedly planning an `` ISIS-inspired '' attack .