NewNow you can listen to Fox News articles!
Australian authorities have released seven people who were detained over concerns they were planning violence. There are no charges against the men at this time.
On Thursday, New South Wales (NSW) Police said Tactical Operations officers carried out an operation in Sydney after receiving information “that a violent act was possibly being planned”. Officers stopped two cars and detained seven people.
According to the Sydney Morning Herald, NSW Police said, “Police took immediate action to prevent any plans going ahead. There is no immediate safety risk to the community.” “The investigation will continue as we review all available evidence and the case will continue to be investigated.”
Families mourn loss of loved ones in Bondi Beach terror attack: ‘Words cannot describe the pain’
Police inspect the scene of a shooting at Sydney’s Bondi Beach on December 15, 2025. (David Gray/AFP via Getty Images)
According to the Sydney Morning Herald, NSW Police Deputy Commissioner Dave Hudson, who on Friday alleged the men were motivated by the same ideology as the suspected Bondi Beach gunmen, defended officers’ tactics, saying they were the “most appropriate to the circumstances”.
“When you investigate it’s a balance, for the investigators and for the counter-terrorism police, of intervening at a time where you’ve mitigated all the risk and danger, which we did yesterday, or waiting until you’ve got a brief of the evidence against an individual that you can present in court,” Hudson said.
Some reports indicate the people were traveling from Melbourne to Bondi Beach, where a deadly mass shooting took place over Hanukkah celebrations. However, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), when speaking to reporters following the group’s release, a man denied the claims.
He said, “No, why would we go there? Too much of a headache…it was too far from where we were anyway.”
Police walk on the street after a shooting incident on Sydney’s Bondi Beach on December 14, 2025. (David Gray/AFP via Getty Images)
Israeli intelligence agency warns Australia about Iranian terror network
NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon said the men, aged between 19 and 24 and from Victoria, would continue to be monitored while in New South Wales. Lanyon also said NSW Police would work with their law enforcement counterparts in Victoria.
One individual in the group was being investigated by the Australian Security Intelligence Organization (ASIO), intelligence sources confirmed to the ABC.
Victorian Premier Jacinta Allen said it was too early to speculate why the group was traveling to the area.
“We have all seen the footage and photos of what happened and thank [NSW police] For their prompt action,” he said, according to The Guardian, “but at this stage, there was not enough information to speculate as to why these people were traveling in this area in this vehicle.”
A woman kneels and prays at a flower memorial for shooting victims outside Bondi Pavilion on Bondi Beach in Sydney, Monday, Dec. 15, 2025, a day after the shootings. (Mark Baker/AP Photo)
Click here to download Fox News App
Australian outlets reported that one person described the incident as a “misunderstanding”. He also said the group told police they were “here on vacation.”
The man said, “They have to do their job, I don’t blame them for anything, it was a misunderstanding.” He also rejected the idea that the group held extremist beliefs.
