Men arrested held same extremist ideology as Bondi shooters

NSW Deputy Commissioner Dave Hudson claimed the Victorian men who were rammed by heavily armed tactical police on their way to Bondi Beach had the same Islamic extremist beliefs as Sunday’s attackers; He claimed he expected charges to be laid against some of those arrested out of fear they were preparing a new violent attack in Sydney.

The seven men were caught driving in two hatchback cars with Victorian registration plates in Liverpool, south-west of the city, on Thursday afternoon.

Tactical operations police, wearing camouflage and drawing heavy weapons, pulled five people from a car and handcuffed them with zip ties at the intersection of George Street and Campbell Street. A second hatchback was stopped a few blocks away and two men were arrested.

Asked whether these men, like the alleged Bondi terrorists Sajid and Naveed Akram, were inspired by Islamic State ideology, Hudson said “that is our belief at this stage.”

“I think the ideology that we’re talking about very much heightens our perceptions of threat and risk in this environment,” Hudson told ABC Radio Sydney on Friday.

“We have received specific information from our colleagues in Victoria and are in constant communication with our Victoria Police colleagues where these individuals came from.”

The group remains in custody under a Commonwealth detention order, which expires at 7.30pm on Friday. Hudson expects charges to be filed against some people in the group and for others to be released.

“Ultimately, when you investigate, it’s a balance for investigators and counter-terrorism police between intervening at a time when you’re going to reduce all the risks and threats; you did that yesterday, or wait until you have a brief piece of evidence that you can present to the court against individuals with bows on them,” Hudson said. he said.