Armed Australian police arrested seven men in Sydney’s southwest on Thursday after a tip that they may be plotting a “violent act” in the city still reeling from the Bondi Beach Hanukkah terror attack.
Police said special tactics officers intercepted two cars after receiving information “that a violent act was possibly being planned.”
According to Sky News Australia, the men had set out from Melbourne and were heading to Bondi Beach, a roughly nine-hour drive. They were arrested in Liverpool, about 40 minutes away from Bondi.
Their reason for driving to Bondi Beach was unclear, Sky News reported.
In a statement on the arrests, New South Wales state police said that “at this point in time, police have not identified any connection to the current police investigation of the Bondi terror attack.”
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Armed police in camouflage gear searched several men as they lay face down on the road with their hands zip-tied behind their backs, according to footage obtained by local media.
One of the suspects appeared to be bleeding from a gash on his head.
Police say seven men of Middle Eastern and Indian subcontinental appearance who were arrested in Liverpool, Sydney, this afternoon were intercepted by Tactical Operations officers responding to intel that a “possible violent act was being planned”.pic.twitter.com/t4OZWE0PDv
— The Noticer (@NoticerNews) December 18, 2025
A police SUV had rammed head-on into a small white hatchback driven by the suspects.
“As investigations continue, seven men are assisting police with their inquiries,” police said.
On Thursday morning, Australian Federal Police Commissioner (AFP) Krissy Barrett said that additional raids were to be expected in the coming days, and that counter-terrorism officers “will execute further search warrants” as the investigation into the Bondi Beach terror attack continues, Sky News reported.
“There is a lot of material to be examined, and the AFP continues to work with both domestic and international partners to build a more complete picture of the movements of the alleged offenders and who [they] had contact with, both in Australia and offshore,” she said, according to Sky News.
Fifteen people were killed when father-and-son shooters Sajid and Naveed Akram fired dozens of shots at a beachside Hanukkah festival on Sunday evening, in a terror attack authorities have linked to “Islamic State ideology.”
Sajid Akram, 50, was killed by police during the attack, but his 24-year-old son, Naveed, survived and was charged on Wednesday with 15 counts of murder, an act of terrorism, and dozens of other serious crimes.
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