Australian police detain seven teen extremists connected to stabbing at Sydney Church
- In Reports
- 07:28 PM, Apr 24, 2024
- Myind Staff
Australian police conducted a series of raids across Sydney, apprehending seven teenagers suspected of following a violent extremist ideology to prevent potential harm to the community, according to officials. The suspects, aged 15 to 17, are believed to have been involved in the stabbing of a bishop in a Sydney church earlier this month.
The Joint Counter-Terrorism Team, comprising federal and state police, the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO), the country's main domestic spy agency, and the New South Wales Crime Commission, which specialises in extremists and organised crime, were also questioning five other teenagers.
Over 400 police officers conducted 13 search warrants in southwest Sydney because they believed the suspects posed a threat. Deputy Commissioner David Hudson of the New South Wales Police Department informed reporters, "We will allege that these individuals adhered to a religiously motivated, violent extremist ideology."
"It was considered that the group...posed an unacceptable risk and threat to the people of New South Wales, and our current purely investigative strategies could not adequately ensure public safety," he added.
Deputy Commissioner Krissy Barrett of the Australian Federal Police explained that, while detectives discovered no evidence of particular targets or timing for a violent act, the suspects were deemed a significant risk to public safety. The operation had nothing to do with the forthcoming Anzac Day, a national celebration in the honour of fallen soldiers.
The arrests follow a recent knife attack at a Sydney church, which resulted in terrorism charges against a 16-year-old. The teen allegedly spoke in Arabic about the Prophet Muhammad being disrespected following the stabbing of Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel and Reverend Isaac Royel at Christ the Good Shepherd Church, which was being broadcast live online during a service.
ASIO Director-General Mike Burgess stated, "Australia's security service is always providing security intelligence that enables the police to address these problems when immediate threats to life or any other evolving situations arise."
Image source: WION News
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