Sydney Police Ram Car, Arrest 5 Men Travelling Towards Bondi Beach

NEW YORK (VINnews) — Heavily armed tactical police swooped on a group of men in Sydney’s southwest on Thursday afternoon, with dramatic footage capturing the aftermath of their arrest.

The Australian reports that the group of men “of Islamic appearance”, some of whom were allegedly armed, were reportedly on their way to Bondi Beach from Melbourne before officers swooped in and detained the group on a busy street in Liverpool. It is not currently clear why the men were travelling to Bondi.

In a chaotic chain of events, a police LandCruiser was used to ram a white Hyundai carrying the men. Tactical officers wearing camouflage and protective gear and carrying rifles were then seen jumping out of a vehicle, detaining the men on a sidewalk.

Police have not confirmed the reason for the operation, however NewsWire understands the tactical police were acting on intelligence from ASIO (Australian Security Intelligence Operation).

Australian Federal Police (AFP) Commissioner Krissy Barrett said on Thursday morning more raids were to come in the wake of the Bondi terror attack.

“In the coming days, the New South Wales Joint Counter Terrorism Team will execute further search warrants to support our investigation. 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 and who the alleged offenders had contact with, both in Australia and offshore,” she said.

In a statement, NSW Police have said there is no threat to the local community.