Seven men left “shaken” and “overwhelmed” by their arrest in Sydney’s south-west are intending to take legal action against NSW Police.
On Thursday the group were detained after tactical police rammed a car in Liverpool in what was characterised as a precautionary measure following the Bondi terror attack that claimed 15 lives.
The men, all from Victoria and ranging in age from 19 to 24, were released the following day with authorities saying their activities in NSW would be monitored.
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Fronting the media on Friday, NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon said information received by police suggested Bondi Beach was one of several locations the group had intended to visit before they were apprehended, but their reasons were not confirmed.
He said there was no known connection between the group and the Bondi gunmen.
The only weapon found with the group was a knife, and the ABC understands there was no intelligence about an active threat.
Read more on the Bondi Beach shooting:
A senior intelligence source described the police response as “strong and right, given the current environment”.
On Saturday the men’s lawyer, Ahmed Dib, said he had been speaking to the group — made up of close friends who were “obviously very shaken up” — and that they were considering their legal options.
Ahmed Dib says he has been speaking to the men who are “shaken up”. (ABC News)
Men ‘trying to gather their thoughts’
Mr Dib said one of the men had lived in Sydney for a year, and was here visiting friends and family, and “didn’t expect any of this”.
“Guns were pointed on them, [they have] some physical injuries. I know some are really sore and and still feeling pain from those injuries today,” he said.
“They’re trying to gather their thoughts at the moment … One of them said to me that they were just really trying to figure it all out. It’s very overwhelming at the moment.”
Police said two cars had been intercepted during the operation at Liverpool. (Supplied)
He questioned whether the situation could have been handled better.
“We’re a country built on principles and evidence and not speculation.
“The reality … based on what we’re being told is simply that they [police] believe, and were incorrectly of the belief, that these people were here for the purpose of committing violent acts — and that’s clearly not the case.”
Mr Dib dismissed claims made by police, including that the men were known to Victorian authorities and had links to the Bondi gunmen, describing the claims as “very ambiguous”.
Families remember Bondi victims
In response to a question about whether the men were on an ASIO watch list, he said it was “simply a statement that’s been made”.
“And it’s really something the police commissioner will have to clarify with specificity.”
He acknowledged there was “real and palpable pressure” on law enforcement to address community concerns in the wake of last weekend’s terror attack.
“I hope this was simply an overreaction in a highly emotional situation,” he said.
“Where is the mantra, ‘innocent until proven guilty?'”
Speaking to reporters after their release, one of the men said there had been a “misunderstanding” and the group held no extremist beliefs.
“We just told [police] we were here for a holiday,” he said.
In a statement NSW Police said it would not be commenting and that “investigations remain ongoing”.