7 men held for a day by Australian police on suspicion of 'violent act possibly planned' consider legal action

By Saadet Gokce

ISTANBUL (AA) – Seven men arrested on Thursday in Sydney, Australia's most populous city, on suspicion of "a violent act possibly being planned," are considering legal action against New South Wales state police over the incident.

The men were "shaken" and "overwhelmed" by their arrest before being released without charge the next day, with authorities saying their activities in the state would be monitored, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon said on Friday that police intelligence indicated the group planned to visit Bondi Beach, among other places. However, he added that there was no known connection between the group and the Bondi gunmen.

Last Sunday evening, a man and his son opened fire on the beach in Sydney, killing 15 people and injuring 42 others. Police described the incident as a "terrorist attack."

One of the two shooters was killed, while the other was critically injured and is being treated in a hospital.

Ahmed Dib, the lawyer for the arrested men, all from Victoria and ranging in age from 19 to 24, claimed that guns were pointed at them, and they also suffered physical injuries.

"I know some are really sore and still feeling pain from those injuries today," he was quoted as saying by the ABC.

"The reality ... based on what we're being told is simply that they (police) believe, and were incorrectly of the belief, that these people were here for the purpose of committing violent acts—and that's clearly not the case," he said on Saturday.

One of the men in the group told reporters after his release that there had been a "misunderstanding" and that the group had no extremist beliefs. "We just told (police) we were here for a holiday," he said.