Australian authorities have announced the arrest of seven individuals considered an “unacceptable risk and threat” to the general public following anti-terror raids conducted by 400 officers on Wednesday.
This operation, aimed at individuals associated with a 16-year-old accused of stabbing an Assyrian Bishop, revealed their adherence to a “religiously motivated extremist ideology.”
Initially, reports indicated five individuals were arrested, but the number has since risen to seven.
More than 400 officers were involved in searches at 13 locations across Sydney following the non-fatal stabbing of an Assyrian bishop last week.
A 16-year-old boy was already in custody for that attack but police said seven more “religiously motivated” juveniles that were part of a “wider network of associates and peers” have now been arrested.
Deputy police commissioner Dave Hudson said “intense” surveillance of the network painted an alarming picture that demanded immediate action.
“Their behaviour, whilst under surveillance, led us to believe that, if they were to commit any act, we would not be able to prevent that,” he told reporters after the raids.
“And we believed, through the investigation, that it was likely that an attack might ensue.
“We considered that the risk was too great,” he said.
