Seven men dramatically arrested in Liverpool in Sydney’s south-west, reportedly travelling towards Bondi, have been released without charge.​ The Victorian group was pulled from two cars at gunpoint, handcuffed and detained.

Liverpool

Seven men were detained by counter-terrorism police in Liverpool, New South Wales, after crossing the Victorian border, on suspicion of planning a violent offence possibly linked to radical Islamist extremism. The men were forcibly removed from their vehicles at gunpoint and sustained injuries during the arrest, but were released without charge after authorities found no evidence of a crime, motive, or weapons.

Police stated that the men were on the radar of interstate law enforcement and possibly ASIO, and acted on information they may have been heading to Bondi following a recent anti-Semitic attack. With the detention warrant expiring and no charges laid, the men were released, and authorities said they would continue to monitor them while in New South Wales.

Seven men arrested over alleged planned attack released without charge

Released one by one without charge, but battered and bruised, these are the men police thought might be terrorists, but they say authorities have got the wrong guys. To be honest with you, I'm as confused as you. Do you hold any extremist beliefs or anything like that? Come on mate. Why are we here? Because we did nothing wrong. They are bugging. Absolutely bugging. I was scared for my life. Honestly, I was scared for my life. For no reason. I'm like, what's going on, what's going on? Dripped from their vehicles at gunpoint. The bloodied faces of seven men dramatically pinned to the ground at Liverpool. The state's top cop claiming they're all on the radar of interstate police, some possibly ASIO. Authorities say the men crossed the Victorian border, arriving in Sydney on Wednesday. A day later, detained in a street side intercept by counter-terrorism police. We're certainly looking at radical Islamist extremism as one of the ideologies behind these males. Arrested on the suspicion of what could have been. Whilst the specific threat posed by the males is unknown, I can say that the potential of a violent offence being committed was such that we were not prepared to tolerate the risk and interdict it accordingly. Acting on information they may have been heading to Bondi, taking no chances after Sunday's anti-Semitic massacre. But apparently, it's one big misunderstanding. We just came from over there, honestly. Mate, we got pulled on the ground, my head got smashed, I was bleeding all over my head. The presumption of innocence prevailing as the evidence simply couldn't stack up. With no crime, no motive, no weapons and an expiring detention warrant, the detainees walked free. Once a person's not in custody, if they haven't been charged, they're not subject to bail conditions, they are free to go. Raising questions as to whether authorities jumped the gun, but there's no bad blood. There's no need. They have their job to do. I don't blame them for nothing, it was a misunderstanding. Where the men are headed now and how they'll get there, they're not quite sure, but... I have been very clear on the fact that we will monitor these men whilst they're in New South Wales and we'll work closely with Victorian and other Commonwealth law enforcement partners. Olivia Blunden, 10 News.

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