Australian police have apprehended seven teenagers in a series of raids across Sydney, targeting individuals believed to be following a violent extremist ideology. The arrests were made to safeguard the community from a potential attack, according to officials. The suspects, aged between 15 and 17, were part of a network that included a 16-year-old boy accused of stabbing a bishop in a Sydney church on April 15.
Late Wednesday, five other teenagers were still being interrogated by the Joint Counter-Terrorism Team, which comprises federal and state police, the Australian Security Intelligence Organization (ASIO), and the New South Wales Crime Commission, specializing in extremists and organized crime. The operation involved over 400 police officers executing 13 search warrants across southwest Sydney due to the immediate threat posed by the suspects, stated New South Wales Police Deputy Commissioner David Hudson.
Hudson informed reporters that the individuals in question adhered to a religiously motivated, violent extremist ideology. He emphasized that the group posed an unacceptable risk and threat to the people of New South Wales, and that purely investigative strategies were insufficient to ensure public safety.
Australian Federal Police Deputy Commissioner Krissy Barrett clarified that investigators did not find any evidence regarding specific targets or the timing of a planned violent act. She also stated that the police operation was unrelated to Anzac Day, a public holiday observed on Thursday, which has been targeted by extremists in the past.
One of the teenagers, a 16-year-old, was charged on Friday with committing a terrorist act, carrying a maximum penalty of life imprisonment, following the knife attack that injured an Assyrian Orthodox bishop and priest. On Wednesday, an Australian Federal Court judge extended an order prohibiting social media platform X (formerly Twitter) from showing videos of the bishop being repeatedly stabbed. The ban, initially implemented on Monday, will remain in effect until May 10. X had previously announced its intention to challenge Australian orders to remove posts related to the attack. The eSafety Commission, Australia’s government agency dedicated to online safety, sought the temporary global ban from the court.
