Liverpool anti-terror arrests: Victorian men on way to collect weapons, NSW Police suggest after Bondi attack

A senior NSW Police officer said the seven men in two cars intercepted by a dramatic police ram-raid in Western Sydney on Thursday may have been prevented from collecting weapons for a “possibly violent act”.

The men, who have not been charged, can be held under a Federal warrant until 7.30pm, according to the Deputy Commissioner for investigations and counter terrorism, David Hudson, who ordered what the police call a high-risk vehicle stop after receiving information that the men might be travelling from Victoria to the scene of Sunday’s massacre at Bondi Beach.

“I can confirm no weapons or firearms were located at the vehicle stop,” Deputy Commissioner Hudson told 2GB Friday morning.

“That supports the decision to go early before any potential weapons could be obtained by this crew.

“We will see as the day plays out a clearer picture of what was potentially going to occur yesterday.”

Photos and videos captured in the aftermath of the operation showed that four-wheel drives from the Tactical Operations Unit rammed into two sedans driving through Liverpool’s main shopping district.

Police officers in military-style uniforms with assault rifles pulled the men from their cars, tied their hands behind their backs with plastic ties and sat them on a footpath facing the wall.

Deputy Commissioner Hudson said no “definitive link” had been found between them and Sajid and Naveed Akram, the father-and-son team accused of conducting Sunday’s massacre.

Asked on ABC radio if the men had links to “extremist Islamic ideology”, Deputy Commissioner Hudson said: “That’s our belief at this stage, yes”.

The seven men are, officially, “assisting police with their inquiries”.

The NSW police are likely working with the Australian Federal Police and the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation to determine if the men have connections to Islamic State or other extremist groups.