'Violent act' foiled in Australia: Seven arrested in Sydney; PM vows to stamp out 'hatred'

Armed police prevented a potential “violent act” in Sydney on Thursday, as the city still grapples with the aftermath of the Bondi Beach shooting.

Also Read: Man behind Australia’s Bondi beach shooting is from Hyderabad

Authorities arrested seven men in Sydney’s southwest after a tip-off about a possible plot. A preliminary investigation found no link to the Bondi terror attack, the deadliest shooting in Australia in nearly three decades.




“Special tactics officers intercepted two cars after receiving information that a violent act might be planned. At this stage, police have found no link to the ongoing Bondi terror investigation,” New South Wales Police said in a statement.

Also Read: Bystander tackles gunman at Bondi Beach; heroic act caught on camera

“As inquiries continue, seven men are assisting police with their investigations,” the statement added.

Footage obtained by local media showed a police SUV ramming a small white hatchback driven by the suspects, one of whom appeared to be bleeding from a head injury. Armed officers in camouflage then searched several men as they lay face down on the road with their hands zip-tied behind their backs.

Also Read: Meet the Sikh who pounced on Bondi shooter; restrained gunman until cops took over

Sajid Akram and his son Naved are accused of killing 15 people in an antisemitic attack at Bondi Beach on Sunday evening. Several families had gathered at the beach to celebrate Hanukkah, the eight-day Jewish festival of lights.

PM Albanese vows to 'stamp out' extremism

Meanwhile, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese vowed to “stamp out” extremism as the nation mourned the youngest victim of the Bondi Beach shooting—a 10-year-old girl remembered as “our little ray of sunshine.”

Albanese pledged a sweeping crackdown to eradicate what he called the “evil of antisemitism from our society.”

“It is clear we need to do more to combat this evil scourge,” he told reporters.

The proposed measures include new powers to target extremist preachers, as well as the ability to refuse or cancel visas for individuals who spread “hate and division.” Australia would also establish a system to list organisations led by figures who engage in hate speech, while serious vilification based on race would be made a federal offence, Albanese added.

The police action in Sydney came just hours after the prime minister’s speech.

(With AFP inputs)