A carload of men who were stopped by heavily-armed police in western Sydney had travelled from Melbourne, and shared the same ‘extremist Islamic ideology’ as the alleged Bondi Beach gunmen.
Two unmarked police 4WDs crashed into the front of a white hatchback during peak-hour traffic in Sydney‘s south-west on Thursday. Police believe the men were possibly on their way to Bondi.
Dramatic vision showed several officers arresting the group of seven men at the intersection of George and Campbell streets in Liverpool at about 5pm.
Officers from the Counter Terrorism unit and the Public Order and Riot Squad were seen putting the handcuffed men against a brick wall.
Five men had their hands cuffed behind their backs on the sidewalk. One of the men was taken from the scene on a gurney, and a sixth man was arrested by police in a nearby laneway.
A second car, a Toyota Yaris with Victorian number plates, was also stopped nearby but was not damaged in the interception.
A knife was found in one of the two vehicles, police said.
NSW Police Deputy Commissioner David Hudson told ABC Radio Sydney the men had travelled from Melbourne and were known to Victoria Police.
Tactical officers arrested a group of seven men in Liverpool
NSW Police issued an alert to stay out of the area at about 5pm on Thursday
A white hatchback was rammed by undercover police 4WD vehicles
‘We have some indication that Bondi was one of the locations they might be visiting yesterday but with no specific intent in mind or proven at this stage,’ he said.
When asked whether the men had links to extremist Islamic ideology, Deputy Commissioner Hudson replied: ‘That’s our belief at this stage, yes.
‘Our threshold or our tolerance for threat and risk is very low at the moment. If we receive information that any type of criminality or violent act is about to be committed, we will act.’
Sky News reported that one of the men being investigated by ASIO.
In a statement on Friday, NSW Police said: ‘Police responded to information received that a violent act was possibly being planned.
‘Police subsequently intercepted two cars as part of the investigation. As investigations continue, seven men are assisting police with their inquiries.
‘At this point in time, police have not identified any connection to the current police investigation of the Bondi terror attack.’
Health Minister Mark Butler praised the efforts of police on Friday.
The men were from Melbourne and wer known to authorities
One of the men was taken from the scene on a stretcher
‘They are extraordinary images,’ Butler told Nine’s Today show.
‘They remind us that while we’re all mourning, while the nation’s trying to come to grips with what happened on Sunday night, our policing intelligence authorities are still working day and night to keep our country safe from any further threats of violence and harm.’
Businesses surrounding the incident, including a medical centre, were locked down.
The incident is just days after the Bondi Beach massacre, with Australia still reeling and on high alert.
Officials say alleged gunman Naveed Akram, 24, and his father, Sajid, 50, fired shots into a crowd as people screamed and ran for cover on Sunday evening.
Fifteen people were killed in the attack, with 42 rushed to hospital.
The attack has been classified by Australian authorities as a terrorist incident, with investigators treating it as a targeted antisemitic assault.
The massacre unfolded during a Hanukkah event.
Counter Terrorism, NSW Police Public Order and Riot Squad officers rushed to the scene
Heavily armed officers at the scene
A 10-year-old girl named Matilda (left) was the youngest victim of Sunday’s tragedy while British-born Eli Schlanger (right) was another victim
Sajid Akram was shot dead by police at the scene. Naveed, critically wounded and taken into custody. He has since been charged with 59 offences related to the alleged attack.
According to Australian officials, the men appeared to have been motivated by Islamic State ideology. Cops also said they found ‘homemade’ Islamic State flags and improvised explosive devices in a car used by the suspects.
The youngest victim of the attack was a 10-year-old girl named Matilda, who was shot in the stomach in front of her sister.
Hundreds of people gathered to pay their respects to her as she was laid to rest during an emotional funeral on Thursday.
Yesterday, British-born Rabbi Eli Schlanger’s relatives were seen breaking down in tears as they bid an emotional farewell to him. He was praised as being a ‘mentor to his colleagues and friends.’
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has vowed to introduce harsher gun control laws. Australia already has one of the strictest sets of rules surrounding firearms in the world.
The PM also said there will be new legislation to crack down on hate across the country. Those laws, he said, will target people ‘who spread hate, division, and radicalisation’.
The country’s Home Affairs Minister, Tony Burke, said Australia would be ‘shifting the threshold’ on what can be described as hate speech.
Australian Federal Police Commissioner, Krissy Barrett said further search warrants would be executed within days to help with the investigations.