Anti-terror raids in Sydney to stop a plot to carry out random public beheadings.

But public beheadings and floggings outraged many in Swat, a former tourist paradise beneath lush mountains.

The Army remains popular in Swat, which endured a brutal Taliban rule that included public beheadings and floggings.

Police say the raids foiled a plan to carry out a campaign of random public beheadings in the cities.

Suicide bombings and the Taliban's version of Islamic rule, which can involve public beheadings and floggings, have angered many Pakistanis.

Or perhaps the murder rate might fall for less conspicuous reasons, and those who endorsed public beheadings can loudly claim the credit anyway.

It's understood he called contacts in Australia and directed them to carry out a campaign of random public beheadings in Sydney and Brisbane.

Public beheadings and floggings were carried out in their reign of terror, which started with rebel incursions in 2007.