In a startling turn of events, a group of Melbourne men, recently detained at gunpoint in a dramatic police operation, has come forward with an urgent message for their peers, as they gear up to take legal action over their harrowing experience.
Known as the Liverpool Seven, these men found themselves at the center of a high-stakes police intervention in western Sydney. Authorities, suspecting a link to the alleged gunmen from Bondi Beach, converged on the group with armed force.
The tense encounter was captured on video, showing tactical units stopping two vehicles they believed were en route to Bondi Beach, amid intelligence reports of a potentially violent plot underway.
Despite the alarming circumstances, the men maintain their innocence, insisting they were simply on a holiday. They were released the following day without any charges filed against them, after spending a night in custody.
In the aftermath, five of the men have taken to social media platforms to share their story and caution others who might find themselves in similar situations. They warn of an increasing climate of fear and mistrust.
In a TikTok video, Farid Nagi, a friend of the group, speaks out, surrounded by five of the men, stating, “I’m here with my brothers who were ram raided a few days ago in Liverpool.”
‘We all know what took place but the brothers just want to send a strong message that if you do get arrested or interact with law enforcement, comply with them.
‘Don’t resist arrest. Don’t. Just let them do their business.’
Five of the men have appeared on social media with friend Farid Nagi to offer advice to others
Dramatic footage showed tactical officers intercepting two cars they believed were headed for Bondi Beach
The video was filmed beside Tom Uglys Bridge in Sydney’s south, where Mr Nagi said the men were all ‘innocent’ and had come to terms with their ordeal.
‘It was a false alarm, but they have accepted that,’ he said.
‘And just a bit of advice, be cautious out there, brothers. There is a lot of tension in the air with what has been unfolding the last few weeks.
‘So the brothers complied, not one single person has been charged with anything and they are all going back home to their families.
‘They are going to head out to the airport now and go back to Melbourne.’
The five men, mostly dressed in black fitted t-shirts and pants, nodded throughout the online clip.
One then stepped forward to express his gratitude.
‘I want to say a big thank you to everyone in Sydney,’ he said.
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The men have since been dubbed the ‘Liverpool Seven.’
The men have instructed their ‘brothers’ to comply with authorities
‘The brotherhood we experienced in Sydney, we will never forget it.
‘All love goes to everyone who supported us, even in the most difficult of times, we will never forget your faces.
‘May Allah reward you and more.’
Mr Nagi also confirmed in the comment section that the men were preparing to take legal action over their treatment.
‘They deserve to be compensated. They have accepted what happened and it was a big mistake,’ he wrote.
On Friday one of the men told waiting media outside the station that the group had been racially profiled.
‘We didn’t do nothing wrong. My beliefs are we all live peacefully, we don’t give a f*** about no one,’ he said.
‘It was racism, what else could it be?
One of the men told waiting media outside the station that the group had been racially profiled
‘They’re [the police] making bulls*** up, they can only hold us for six hours then they changed the charge from a state charge to a Commonwealth charge so they could hold us for 24 hours.
‘They’re just making up bullshit so they could hold us longer and find something cause they’re f***ed up.’
Footage of the dramatic arrest showed tactical officers patting down the group of men as they lay restrained on the road.
Two unmarked police 4WDs were also seen crashing into the front of a white hatchback driven by the men.
Some were missing shoes or clothing and had prominent scars on their bodies.
Earlier on Friday, NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon confirmed there was no link between the group and the alleged Bondi Beach terror attack that claimed 15 lives.
He declined to confirm if one of the men was being investigated by ASIO.
‘We’re certainly looking at radical Islamist extremism as one of the ideologies behind these males,’ Lanyon told reporters.
NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon confirmed there was no link between the group and the Bondi Beach terror attack
He also said the motive of the group and the ‘potentially violent act’ they may have been planning is still unknown.
‘Whilst this specific threat posed by the males is unknown, I can say that the potential of a violent offence being committed was such that we were not prepared to tolerate the risk and interdict accordingly,’ he said.
‘The information received was that Bondi may have been one of a number of locations that the males were intending to attend, but the reason for attending is unknown.’
