A group of men from Melbourne, now known as the 'Liverpool Seven', have issued a stark warning to the public after they were detained at gunpoint by tactical police in Sydney last week in a case of mistaken identity.
The Dramatic Arrest and Aftermath
Dramatic footage captured the moment armed officers swarmed two cars in western Sydney, with one police 4WD seen crashing into a white hatchback. The men were restrained on the road, patted down, and some were left missing shoes or clothing. The police operation was launched amid intelligence suggesting the group was linked to a planned 'violent act' and may have been headed for Bondi Beach, the site of a recent deadly attack.
However, after spending a night in custody, all seven men were released on Friday without a single charge being laid. NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon later confirmed there was no connection between the group and the alleged Bondi Beach terror attack that claimed 15 lives. He stated that while 'radical Islamist extremism' was being considered as a possible ideology, the specific threat and motive of the group remained unknown.
A Public Plea for Compliance
Following their release, five of the men appeared in a TikTok video with friend Farid Nagi, filmed beside Tom Uglys Bridge in Sydney's south. In the clip, they advised others who might face a similar ordeal to comply fully with law enforcement. "Don't resist arrest. Don't. Just let them do their business," Nagi said, with the men nodding in agreement.
Nagi described the incident as a "false alarm" which the men had accepted. He pointed to an atmosphere of heightened "tension" and urged caution. One of the men then stepped forward to thank the Sydney community for their support during the ordeal, stating, "The brotherhood we experienced in Sydney, we will never forget it."
Allegations of Profiling and Planned Legal Action
The group, however, strongly believes their treatment was unjust. Speaking to media outside the police station upon release, one man alleged they were racially profiled. "It was racism, what else could it be?" he said, also accusing police of changing charges to extend their detention.
More concretely, Farid Nagi confirmed in the video's comments that the men are preparing to take legal action over their arrest and treatment. "They deserve to be compensated. They have accepted what happened and it was a big mistake," he wrote. The men have since returned to their families in Melbourne.
