Australian counter-terrorism police arrest 2 outside church

Australia's counter-terrorism officers on Friday arrested two persons including a woman during an operation near a church here.

A Victoria Police spokesperson, however, said that there was "no current or impending threat to the community".

"The Joint Counter Terrorism Team (JCTT) Melbourne can confirm it is conducting operational activity in North Melbourne today (Friday)," the official said.

Two two people were "assisting with inquiries", he said.

The man was taken away after being placed in a white forensic suit while the woman was also cuffed and arrested, Australian news website news.com.au reported.

The heavily-armed officers, some carrying machine guns, were seen outside St Mary's Anglican Church about 1:30 PM (local time), according to ABC news.

The Australian Federal Police confirmed that the JCTT was conducting "operational activity" in North Melbourne without giving further details.

On March 15, a self-styled white supremacist killed 50 people and injured as many others in two Christchurch mosques, the deadliest mass shootings in modern New Zealand history.

The 28-year-old accused was arrested charged with murder.