Sydney, Sep 18 (IANS) Australian police and the nation’s spy agency launched raids in homes in Sydney and Brisbane Thursday.

More than 600 officers from multiple police departments swooped on homes in the early hours of the morning in an operation that is believed to be linked to extremist terror group Islamic State (IS), Xinhua reported.

“A police operation is currently underway in Sydney’s northwest suburbs this morning as a result of a joint counter-terrorism operation involving the New South Wales (NSW) Police and Australian Federal Police (AFP),” police said in a statement.

Police confirmed that arrests have been made but it is as yet unclear how many people have been taken into custody.