Share on Twitter A Melbourne man has been accused of trying to carry out a religiously motivated act of terror, with police warning the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated online youth radicalisation. The 19-year-old Epping man was among three people arrested as part of a joint counter-terrorism operation in Melbourne's north on Wednesday morning. A 20-year-old man from Epping and 16-year-old Glenroy boy were also arrested in the separate raids after investigators became concerned about a fire and an assault. Police say they suspect the incidents - involving a fire in bushland about 30 minutes from Epping on 18 February and assault in a public place in metropolitan Melbourne on 10 March - may have been motivated by "religious extremism".