Armed Australian police arrested seven men in Sydney's southwest on Thursday after a tip that they may be plotting a "violent act" in the city still mourning the Bondi Beach shooting. They may soon be released, however, if no further evidence is found.

Police said special tactics officers intercepted two vehicles in Liverpool, Sydney's southwest, after receiving information "that a violent act was possibly being planned." The arrested men were suspected to have been en-route to Bondi Beach. 

A police SUV had rammed head-on into a small white hatchback driven by the suspects.

Armed police in camouflage gear searched several men as they lay face down on the road with their hands zip-tied behind their backs, according to footage obtained by local media.

One of the suspects appeared to be bleeding from a gash on his head.

The arrests were made under precautionary concerns given the recent atrocities, Australia's worst mass shooting in almost three decades. This preemptive measure invokes rarely used Australian terrorism and national security legislation that allows law enforcement to detain and question suspects for at most a week before bringing charges.

Australian Deputy Commissioner David Hudson said "we made the decision that our tolerance for risk and threshold for risk is, as you can understand, very low at the moment following last Sunday's atrocities.”

The seven arrested men have been on the radar of the Australian police. One of them was investigated by the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation. It was believed that these men are linked to the "extremist Islamic ideology."

"We have some indication that Bondi was one of the locations they might be visiting yesterday but with no specific intent in mind or proven at this stage," said Hudson on Friday morning when speaking to 702 ABC Radio Sydney.

(With input from agencies)