All individuals were denied bail and are scheduled to appear in a children’s court on Thursday, facing charges that include possessing or controlling violent extremist material.

Five out of the seven teenagers who were arrested on Wednesday during counter-terrorism raids in Sydney have had charges filed against them for various terrorism-related offenses.

Among them, two males, aged 17 and 14, are facing charges related to possessing or controlling violent extremist material, while two 16-year-old males have been charged with conspiring to engage in any act in preparation for, or planning, a terrorist act.

Additionally, one 17-year-old male is facing charges for conspiring to engage in an act in preparation for, or planning, a terrorist act, as well as for being in possession of a knife in a public place.

All five individuals were denied bail and are scheduled to appear before a children’s court on Thursday.

The counter-terrorism raids conducted on Wednesday involved approximately 400 officers from both the New South Wales Police and the Australian Federal Police. They executed 13 search warrants across various suburbs in Sydney, including Bankstown, Prestons, Casula, Lurnea, Rydalmere, Greenacre, Strathfield, Chester Hill, and Punchbowl, as well as a premises in Goulburn.

The raids resulted in the arrests, and police mentioned that an additional five individuals, comprising two men and three juvenile males, cooperated with the authorities during their inquiries.

Authorities reported seizing several items, notably a "significant amount of electronic material."

The arrests and charges occur within the context of the ongoing investigation into the 16-year-old suspect accused of stabbing Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel at the Assyrian Christ the Good Shepherd Church in Wakeley last week.

The Joint Counter Terrorism Team Sydney, tasked with investigating the incident, consists of members from the NSW Police, Australian Federal Police, Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO), and NSW Crime Commission.

In a statement, the NSW Police and the AFP affirmed that there is currently "no specific threat to public safety and no threat to Anzac Day commemorations."

During a press conference on Wednesday, Deputy Commissioner Krissy Barrett of the AFP stated that authorities have not uncovered any evidence of a specific planned attack.

"We have identified connections between the alleged offender and a network of associates who share a similar violent extremist ideology," Barrett explained. "However, at this point, we have no evidence regarding specific locations, times, or targets of a violent act."

Deputy Commissioner David Hudson of the NSW Police added that the arrests were made amidst ongoing concerns regarding the possibility of an imminent attack.

It was deemed that the group under scrutiny presented an unacceptable risk to the people of New South Wales, and our current investigative strategies alone were insufficient to ensure public safety.

"Their actions, observed during surveillance, led us to conclude that if they were to carry out any act, we would be unable to prevent it," Deputy Commissioner Hudson explained.

He characterized the group as "loosely organized," with "splintering factions" within it. "Although specific targets were not identified, the ongoing threat and the decentralized nature of the group, along with various factions operating independently, heightened concerns," he added.