SYDNEY, June 18 (Xinhua) -- "High-risk" terrorism suspects will now be held in 10 new and specifically designed steel cells in Sydney while they wait to face court, Australia's New South Wales (NSW) State Minister for Corrections David Elliott announced in a statement on Sunday.
"The new maximum-security unit at Long Bay (prison) will allow us to separate the state's most dangerous inmates from the mainstream population while they face trial in Sydney," he said
Located near the Sydney Airport, the new cells will significantly reduce travel time between prison and court.
Previously, suspects facing terror charges were held over 200 km away at a high security facility in Goulburn, known as Supermax.
"By having a secure facility close to Sydney designed for these offenders we can limit their transport movement and provide more effective access to courts and to their lawyers," Corrective Services NSW acting commissioner Luke Grant explained.
Accessible only by an individual "air-lock" arrangement, each cell has a small enclosed yard protected by a double layer of steel mesh which is monitored by up to 60 CCTV cameras.
The completion of the new unit comes as a man was arrested at his home in Sydney on Saturday, charged with a string of terrorism-related offences.
Police alleged the 26-year-old was attempting to travel to Bangladesh in order to meet with ideological allies and engage in terrorist acts outside of Australia.
If found guilty, the maximum penalty can carry a sentence of life in prison.
The unit is set to begin receiving inmates from July.
