As part of a series of counterterrorism searches throughout Sydney, Australian police have detained seven teens, stating that it is "likely" that the young people were preparing an attack.
According to authorities, the suspects have a "religiously motivated violent extremist ideology" in common.
The raids had a connection to the stabbing death of an Assyrian bishop last week, which authorities deemed to be a "terrorist act".
"Juveniles" between the ages of 15 and 17, according to the police, were the perpetrators.
The teens, according to investigators, are connected to the 16-year-old boy who has been charged with a terror crime in connection with Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel's stabbing during a sermon that was streamed live.
At least four victims of the assault in the Wakeley suburb of western Sydney were left with "non-threatening" wounds. And the sixteen-year-old was injured.
NSW Police Deputy Commissioner David Hudson told the media on Wednesday, "From that initial [Wakeley] incident, a number of associates were identified that we believe warranted further close attention and investigation."
The adolescents, according to Mr. Hudson, were all "linked in a common purpose" and presented a "unacceptable risk and threat" to the general public. Five more people are helping with police investigations as well.
He said that everyone had been watching them since last Monday's incident at Christ The Good Shepherd Church. Police had detained the group because they thought "an attack might ensue," albeit no clear plan or target had been found.
The state's joint counterterrorism squad is still looking at this.
The raids on Wednesday involved 400 police officers in total, and search warrants were obtained at thirteen different addresses in southwest Sydney.
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