A man has been charged over allegedly recruiting, facilitating and funding people to fight in Syria after officers raided a Islamic centre at Logan, south of Brisbane.

Agim Kruezi, 21, from Boronia Heights, is expected to appear in the Brisbane Magistrates Court following a 12-month joint operation that included the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and Queensland Police.

Omar Succerieh, 31, from Kuraby, has also been arrested and is expected to be charged later today.

• ASIO could raise terror threat

Succerieh, one of the Islamic centre’s founders, is believed to be the brother of Abu Asma al Australi, who is suspected of being the first Australian suicide bomber to die in Syria.

Nine search warrants were executed on the centre in the Logan suburb of Underwood by 180 AFP and Queensland police officers.

AFP Assistant Commissioner Neil Gaughan said the 21-year-old man was charged with two offences.

An images from the centre’s Facebook page. Photo: Facebook

“Firstly in relation to incursions into Syria with the intentions of engaging in hostile activities and recruiting persons to engage in hostile activities in Syria,” he said.

“A 31-year-old male from Kuraby will be charged for providing funds to a terrorist organisation in Syria, as well as one charge under the Crimes Foreign Incursion Act 1978 in relation to preparation for crimes into Syria with the intention of engaging in hostile activity.”

He said advice the AFP had from the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions was there was enough evidence to charge the men.

“We are somewhat limited in what specifics we can go into in these particular matters, but the presumption of innocence is paramount and we must allow the normal judicial process to take its course,” he said.

He said there were a number of items seized in this morning’s raids.

“Some crossbars, electronic data and one firearm,” he said.

“[The men] are associated with the bookshop. We are not going to go into further details at this time exactly what that relationship is, but obviously that will bear out in the court process.”

The raids come a day after the head of Australia’s domestic spy agency, David Irvine, said the country’s official terror threat level could be upgraded in the next few days.

ASIO’s director-general told the ABC’s 7.30 on Tuesday night that the threat had been building in Australia over the past year and he had an “elevated level of concern”.

The Federal Government has confirmed the threat of a terrorist attack in Australia has moved “above moderate” because of the involvement of Australians in the Middle East war zone.

However, Assistant Commissioner Gaughan said security agencies did not think the men were planning a terrorist attack within Australia, nor were they related to Islamic State (IS).

“I would like to stress there is no information or intelligence available to police or security agencies at this time to indicate that these males were involved in terrorism attack planning in Australia,” he said.

He said the timing of the raids came down to public safety.

“This is criminal behaviour by Australians involved in terrorist activity … these charges were not in relation to Islamic State,” he said.

Queensland Police Assistant Commissioner Gayle Hogan said there was nothing in the investigation that pointed to any attack or problems in relation to the G20 meeting in Brisbane in November.

“The Queensland Police Service and our partners are working closely to ensure that our planning is up to speed to provide security to all of the guests that are coming and to the members of the community, so I state again there are no links to G20,” she said.

He would not confirm that bullet holes were found at the Islamic centre in Logan.

“We’re not going to confirm that they’re bullet holes. The forensic process needs to take its course.”

He said both of the men who would be charged were linked to that centre, which sells books and other items.

“They are associated with the bookshop, we are not going to go into any further details about what that relationship is.”

Mr Gaughan tried to reassured Australians in the wake of the raids.

“I would like to stress that there is no information or intelligence available to police or security agencies at this time to indicate that these males were involved in terrorism attack planning in Australia,” he said.

He added law enforcement and security agencies were operating in a complex environment and there had been heightened operational activity in the past 12 months.