Australia’s police force has defended its involvement in tracking an international drug smuggling network that culminated in the execution of two Australians by firing squad in Indonesia last week.

Terrorism raids in Sydney were sparked by security intelligence that the Islamic State (IS) movement was planning a public killing as a demonstration of its reach.

AUSTRALIAN detectives have charged 22 men including a policeman, a senior lawyer and a childcare worker in connection with a child pornography-sharing network spanning 70 countries, police said yesterday.