Two held in Sydney's counter-terrorism operation

Two young men have been arrested in Sydney during a counter-terrorism operation in the wake of the Dec 15 cafe siege, police said Wednesday.

According to the police, a 20-year-old man was charged after he was found possessing documents designed to facilitate a terrorist attack.

The documents mentioned "potential government targets" in Sydney, Xinhua quoted Australian Federal Police deputy commissioner Michael Phelan as saying.

Another person, aged 21, has been charged with breaching a control order. Both will appear in a Sydney court Wednesday.

The arrests come a week after an armed man held 17 people hostage in a Martin Place cafe in Sydney. Three people, including the gunman, were killed in the siege.

On Tuesday, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said security agencies had detected a "heightened level of terror chatter" in the wake of the Martin Place siege and in the lead up to Christmas.