Seven Teenagers Arrested in Sydney for Religiously-Motivated Terror Attack: Police Mitigate
On Wednesday, Australian authorities arrested 12 teenagers, including seven who were charged as associates of a 16-year-old boy accused of a religiously-motivated terror attack on Assyrian Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel during a live-streamed church service on April 15.
The operation involved over 400 police and security personnel due to the suspects' alleged belief in a violent extremist ideology and posing an "unacceptable risk" to society.
The teens will be charged with terrorism offenses.
Five more people are being questioned by police in Sydney, Australia, following recent arrests.
Deputy Commissioner David Hudson assured the community that there is no ongoing threat and the actions taken have minimized any risk of future harm.
The operation is ongoing, and the city is on edge due to a deadly mass stabbing in Bondi and fears of further attacks against the Muslim community.
Gun and knife crime is uncommon in peaceful Sydney, which is known as one of the world's safest cities.
The Joint Counter Terrorism Team (JTT) conducted 13 raids in Sydney and Goulburn, involving state and federal police and the domestic intelligence agency.
During the raids, a large amount of electronic material was seized.
On the same day, Australia's top domestic spy chief called on technology companies to grant limited access to user messages to help combat extremism.