Fifteen men linked to a 40-person Brisbane brawl where bamboo, swords, axes and knives were used as weapons have been arrested by Queensland Police.
The fight, which took place on the city's southside, erupted on Daw Road, Runcorn, about 10.30pm on Monday, police say.
Officers arriving on the scene found a 36-year-old man with significant hand, neck and head injuries.
Of the 15 arrested, all have been charged with affray, five with grievous bodily harm, and two for assault occasioning bodily harm.
One man has also been charged with disturbing a lawfully assembled religious assembly after he attempted to take over a service, but police could not confirm whether the service was held on the night of the brawl.
All of the alleged perpetrators are believed to be aged between 29 and 36, and Acting Superintendent Simon Tayler says five men will be facing objections to bail, while all offenders will be bailed with conditions moving forward.
"The 15 that we've put through today, we're very happy with the volume and level of evidence that we have to be able to put them before court," he told reporters on Thursday.
Police allege the cause of the brawl stems from a 'power struggle' between two groups from the same area of worship.
Their investigations will address the behaviour of the community and how the situation escalated to all-out conflict.
"At no point is it acceptable to meet in an open street with the level of weaponry that they had to solve whatever their issues were," Act Spt Tayler said.
"We are actively engaging with senior members of that community to ensure that we understand what was behind it, but also to make sure that nothing progresses from this point forward.
"The tensions and the issues that are within that community, we will do our very best to assist (with).
"However, some of those issues are very much for them to resolve. For us it's about ensuring that none of that then escalates to criminal behaviour."
Australian Associated Press
