“We didn’t do nothing wrong, there was nothing found on us.”

The first man to speak to reporters after leaving custody said: “We just told them we were here for a holiday.

“We were going for a swim,” he said.

He said the arrest was a “misunderstanding”.

“To be honest with you, I’m as confused as you,” he told reporters.

The man said he “obviously” condemned the terrorist attack at Bondi Beach.

Asked if he held any extremist beliefs, he said: “Come on mate.”

He said there was no need to be angry at police for what happened.

“They have their job to do, I don’t blame them for nothing, it was a misunderstanding.”

He said he “hopefully one day” would return to Melbourne, but was not sure if it would be on Friday or Saturday.

Six of the seven men arrested by police outside Liverpool Police Station after being released from custody.CREDIT:NINE NEWS

NSW Police said in a statement the men – aged between 19 and 24 – were released “pending further investigations”.

“Police acted quickly to prevent the advancement of any plan. There is no immediate safety risk to the community,” police said.

“Investigations will continue to review all available evidence and an investigation into the matter remains ongoing.”

A lawyer for the seven men, Ahmed Dib, said the group is considering suing police over injuries and damage to vehicles.

Dib said the men were not pursued and interdicted by the police because they were going to launch an attack, or because they were on a watch list. Instead, he said, someone reported overhearing the group talk about “Bondi 2.0”.

Two of the men briefly paused to pray as they walked away from Liverpool Police Station, released almost 24 hours after their dramatic arrest by tactical police.CREDIT:NINE NEWS

The men, all of whom were allegedly known to Victoria Police and under regular monitoring, were driving in two hatchbacks when they were intercepted on Thursday afternoon.

Tactical operations police dressed in camouflage and drawing heavy weapons pulled five men from one car at the intersection of George Street and Campbell Street in Liverpool, handcuffing them with zip ties. A second hatchback was intercepted a few blocks away, and two men were arrested.

In footage posted on social media, five men could be seen lying on the road and footpath. The vision shows one man whose head appears to be bleeding. In later footage, he appears to have been bandaged. Beanbag rounds were reportedly used to detain the men.

NSW Police Deputy Commissioner Dave Hudson alleged on Friday morning that the men were inspired by the same Islamic extremist ideology as alleged Bondi terrorists Sajid and Naveed Akram.

“I think the ideology that we’re talking about very much increases our perceptions of threat and risk in relation to this environment,” Hudson told ABC Radio Sydney.

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“We were in receipt of certain information from our Victorian counterparts, he said, adding NSW Police were “continually in contact” with those in Victoria “where these individuals emanate from.”

NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon said, while the group was still in custody as at 12pm on Friday, the justification for their ongoing detention “no longer exists, subject to a review of evidence”.

“They haven’t been released at this stage, we’re still reviewing evidence to determine whether there’s a justification to detain them,” Lanyon said earlier.

“They will continue to be monitored whilst in NSW, and we will work closely with our Victorian and Commonwealth law enforcement partners.”

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