3 weeks ago
Police make an apprehension successful Sydney connected Wednesday successful a monolithic national and authorities constabulary counter-terrorism cognition successful which 7 juveniles allegedly belonging to a loose-knit extremist group were detained pursuing alleged stabbings astatine an orthodox Christian religion past week. Photo by NSW Police Force/EPA-EFE
April 24 (UPI) -- Australian constabulary arrested 7 juveniles Wednesday successful raids crossed New South Wales arsenic portion of a monolithic counter-terror cognition involving 400 officers pursuing a stabbing incident astatine a religion successful nan Sydney suburbs past week.
The juvenile suspects, each male, were detained aft hunt warrants were executed astatine 13 locations successful Sydney and Goulburn, 56 miles northeast of Canberra, arsenic portion of a Joint Counter Terrorism Team investigation, Australian Federal Police said successful a news release.
The AFP said a further 5 people, including 2 men and 3 juvenile males were assisting them pinch their inquiries and that investigators had seized a number of items of grounds including a "significant" haul of physics material.
"Operational activity remains ongoing," constabulary said but stressed that location was nary circumstantial threat to nationalist information and nary threat to Thursday's Anzac Day commemorations.
AFP Deputy Commissioner Krissy Barrett said nan suspects each knew each different and that investigators had uncovered "network" of group who stock a "similar violent extremist ideology."
"At this clip we person nary grounds of circumstantial locations, times aliases targets of a convulsive act. The JCTT has acted swiftly to disrupt these individuals, and nan investigation remains ongoing," she said.
"Their behavior, whilst nether that surveillance, led america to judge that, if they were to perpetrate immoderate act, we would not beryllium capable to forestall that."
NSW lawman constabulary main David Hudson said nan arrests were a precautionary move owed to nan beardown likelihood an onslaught was imminent.
Police felt nan group, which he said was loose-knit, "posed an unacceptable consequence to nan group of New South Wales, and our existent purely investigative strategies could not adequately guarantee nationalist safety."
"No circumstantial targets had been nominated. However, it's conscionable nan ongoing threat and loose quality of nan group arsenic well. Whilst coordinated to immoderate degree, location were splinter factions doing their ain point arsenic well."
Hudson said much than 400 members of nan associated counter-terrorism squad from nan authorities and national constabulary forces, arsenic good arsenic nan NSW crime commission, took portion successful nan cognition which sewage underway astatine astir 11:15 a.m. section time.
The raids came 9 days aft the alleged stabbings of Mar Mari Emmanuel, a bishop successful nan Assyrian Orthodox Church, and 3 different group astatine a work April 15, which was upgraded to a violent attack nan adjacent day.
A 16-year-old boy has been charged complete that incident.
