Seven men who were arrested in southwest Sydney on Thursday over alleged plans to commit a violent act have ideological links to the perpetrators of the mass shooting at Bondi Beach in Australia, police said on Friday.
They were arrested by heavily armed tactical operations officers in the suburb of Liverpool, 28 kilometers southwest of central Sydney, on Thursday afternoon after police received information that a violent act was possibly being planned.
Speaking to Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) radio on Friday morning, New South Wales (NSW) Police Deputy Commissioner David Hudson said that police believe the men have links to extremist ideology.
The allegation comes after two men, who authorities say were motivated by Islamic State (IS) ideology, opened fire on a crowd who had gathered to celebrate the first day of the Jewish festival of Hanukkah at Bondi Beach on Sunday night. Sixteen people, including one alleged gunman, were killed.
Hudson said that police have "some indication" that the group of seven men, who had traveled to Sydney from the neighboring state of Victoria, were planning to attend Bondi Beach.
He said that tactical officers had acted early to arrest the men before they could obtain any potential weapons.
Australia will hold a national "day of reflection" on the coming Sunday to honor the victims of the deadly terror attack at Sydney's Bondi Beach a week earlier, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Friday.
Flags on all New South Wales and Australian government buildings will be flown at half-mast on Sunday, Albanese said.
7 arrested in Sydney subscribe to extremist ideology: police
7 arrested in Sydney subscribe to extremist ideology: police
The Shenzhou-21 crew aboard China's orbiting Tiangong space station completed their mission's third series of extravehicular activities (EVAs) on Friday, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).
The astronaut trio -- Zhang Lu, Wu Fei and Zhang Hongzhang -- worked for roughly five and a half hours and completed their EVAs at 01:36 (Beijing Time), assisted by the space station's robotic arm and a team on Earth.
The trio completed the installation of a space debris protection device for the space station, and extravehicular equipment and facility inspections, among other tasks. Zhang Lu, the commander of the Shenzhou-21 mission, and Wu Fei conducted the spacewalk and returned to the Wentian lab module safely, according to the CMSA.
Zhang Lu has so far carried out seven EVAs, making him one of the Chinese astronauts with the most spacewalks to date.
Since completing their second series of EVAs on March 16, the Shenzhou-21 astronauts have steadily advanced experiments in areas such as space life sciences, human research, and microgravity physical science. They have carries out in-orbit environmental monitoring, equipment inspection and maintenance, and supply management. The crew has also completed a full-system pressure emergency drill, emergency life-support training, and preparations for extravehicular activities.
The three astronauts have been in orbit for more than five months and remain in good working and living condition.
To further validate technologies related to long-term human habitation in orbit and to maximize the comprehensive benefits of using the Shenzhou-22 spacecraft as an emergency launch vehicle to resupply the space station, it has been decided, after careful evaluation and assessment, that the crew's stay in orbit will be extended by approximately one month.
During the upcoming phase of their space journey, the crew will continue to conduct scientific experiments and technical tests, and will also celebrate the Space Day of China, which is marked annually on April 24, and the International Workers' Day on May 1 while in orbit.
Shenzhou-21 astronauts complete 3rd series of extravehicular activities
