Australian police arrest 7 teen extremists linked to Sydney church stabbing

In a series of raids conducted across Sydney on Wednesday, Australian Police apprehended seven teenagers suspected of following a violent extremist ideology to prevent potential harm to the community, according to officials. The suspects, aged 15 to 17, are believed to be involved in the stabbing of a bishop in a Sydney church earlier this month.

The Joint Counter-Terrorism Team, which includes federal and state police, the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, the country's main domestic spy agency, and the New South Wales Crime Commission, which specialises in extremists and organised crime, were also questioning five other teenagers late Wednesday.

Over 400 police officers executed 13 search warrants in southwest Sydney because they believed the suspects presented a threat. Deputy Commissioner David Hudson of the New South Wales Police Department told reporters, "We will allege that these individuals adhered to a religiously motivated, violent extremist ideology."

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"It was considered that the group...posed an unacceptable risk and threat to the people of New South Wales, and our current purely investigative strategies could not adequately ensure public safety," he added.

Deputy Commissioner Krissy Barrett of the Australian Federal Police explained that, while detectives discovered no evidence of particular targets or timing for a violent act, the suspects were deemed a significant risk to public safety. The operation had nothing to do with the forthcoming Anzac Day, a national celebration in honour of fallen soldiers.

The arrests follow a recent knife attack at a Sydney church, which led to terrorism charges against a 16-year-old. The teen allegedly spoke in Arabic about the Prophet Muhammad being disrespected following the stabbing of Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel and Reverend Isaac Royel at Christ the Good Shepherd Church, which was being broadcast live online during a service.

ASIO Director-General Mike Burgess said, "Australia's security service is always doing its thing to provide security intelligence that enables the police to deal with these problems when we have immediate threats to life or anything else that's evolving," Burgess said.

(With inputs from agencies)