Web desk: Australian authorities have arrested more suspects, including four Indian nationals, near Sydney’s Bondi Beach, according to India’s Ministry of External Affairs, on Thursday.
The arrests come as the investigation into the Bondi Beach terror attack continues to widen.
Officials believe the new detentions indicate growing security concerns and suggest that the network behind the attack may be larger and more coordinated than first thought.
7 arrested over planned attack
Heavily armed police stopped a car to arrest seven people accused of planning violence at Bondi Beach, just days after the deadly terror attack.
Video shows counter-terrorism officers in camouflage handcuffing the men, who were reportedly on their way to the famous beach. A police Land Cruiser rammed a white Hyundai carrying some of the suspects.
The men were handcuffed on the ground after being stopped at an intersection in Liverpool city.
Local media say the suspects had travelled from Melbourne, and police received intelligence that they were planning to go to Bondi Beach.
Authorities said a violent act may have been planned, but there is no link to the ongoing investigation of the recent Bondi attack. Police described the arrests as a precautionary measure following the Bondi shooting, The Sun reports.
A police statement read: “Tactical Operations police responded to information received that a violent act was possibly being planned.”
Bondi Beach shooter has Indian roots
Previously, the Indian media’s anti-Pakistan propaganda regarding the Bondi Beach shooter‘s nationality was exposed as an Indian news outlet, The Print, brought facts to light.
The Indian online newspaper has exposed the anti-Pakistan propaganda by the Indian media that claimed that the Bondi Beach attacker was a Pakistani.
As per the news article, Bondi Beach attacker Sajid Akram moved from India to Australia.
The Bondi Beach shooter had immigrated from India in 1998, while his son was born in Australia, The Print reports.
It further adds, “Sources in the security establishment told ThePrint that Sajid Akram, 50, hailed from Hyderabad in Telangana. Sajid was shot dead by the police at the crime scene on Sunday. His son Naveed Akram had citizenship of Australia, they added.”
The report confirms that Sajid Akram was a resident of Hyderabad, Telangana, in India. There is no evidence whatsoever of any Pakistani connection.
Sajid Akram, who was killed in the Bondi Beach incident, was of Indian origin, while his son, Naveed Akram, is a natural-born Australian citizen.
“He hailed from Old Hyderabad city and still has family here, including two brothers,” The Print reported.
