These are the two brothers shot by police near a campground after a high speed chase.

Joel, 19, and Joshua Clavell, 30, have been identified as the men involved in the confrontation with counter-terror cops near Richardsons Bend Camping Ground, west of Wodonga on the border between Victoria and New South Wales, at 3.30pm on Wednesday.

The pair, who converted to Islam in prison, have been watched by counter-terrorism police for the past two years, Assistant Commissioner Ross Guenther said.

Their father, Rodney Clavell, a former prison officer, held four women hostage at an Adelaide brothel during a 13-hour stand-off with police before killing himself in 2014.

He had been on amphetamines during the siege, an inquest into his death found last year.

When police approached one man, he moved towards them and he was shot. Police attempted to negotiate with the second man, but he refused. He was sprayed with capsicum spray and tasered but when neither of these methods had any effect, the police also shot him (pictured, the Murray River Reserve where the shooting took place)

'My understanding is the older brother made a commitment to this form of Islam several years ago.

'He sought to impart that thinking to his brothers. I think that's occurred over a period of several years.

He said the older brother 'would be at a threat level that's very high.'

He said police were now seeking to understand whether 19-year-old Joshua Clavell was a risk to the community.

Both men remain in hospital after the standoff with police, which is believed to have sparked when police officers performed a 'precautionary' check on the pair.

They rammed a police car before jumping out of their vehicle allegedly wielding a knife and a tomahawk.

The 30-year-old was shot after he allegedly lunged at an officer with a weapon in hand, police said.

The 19-year-old was shot after allegedly refusing to surrender.

Joshua, who has a criminal record in three states and spent six months in jail for matters unrelated to terror offences, remains in a serious condition in Melbourne.

Victoria Police's Assistant Commissioner Ross Guenther said the two men may have crossed the border to escape the watchful eye of the NSW police.

'Perhaps they felt they were under too much spotlight in NSW, so they thought coming across into Victoria was a good move.'

Joshua is recovering at an Albury hospital and Joel was flown to Melbourne and remains in a critical condition. </s> The two brothers shot and seriously wounded by police at the Victoria-NSW border were under the watch of counter-terror cops when they rammed a squad car and later lunged at police with a knife and a tomahawk.

Acting Assistant Commissioner Clive Rust said counter-terror detectives had asked local police to intercept the men, believed to be brothers aged 19 and 31, but emphasied it was "standard procedure" and there was no ongoing terror investigation or threat to the public.

Police found the pair about 3pm on Old Barnawartha Road, about 20 kilometres west of Albury-Wodonga, before the men allegedly rammed their car and fled on foot.

Mr Rust said one of the men then charged police with a weapon and was shot. He said police tried negotiate with the second man "for a number of minutes" and used taser and pepper spray before he also allegedly lunged at police and was shot. </s> The two men shot and seriously wounded by police at the Victoria-NSW border were under the watch of counter-terror cops when they rammed a local squad car and lunged at police with a knife and a tomahawk.

Acting Assistant Commissioner Clive Rust said counter-terror detectives had asked local police to intercept the men, believed to be brothers aged 19 and 31, but emphasised it was "standard procedure" and there was no ongoing terror investigation or threat to the public.

Police from Wodonga found the pair about 3pm at a service station at Barnawartha North, about 20 kilometres west of Albury-Wodonga, before the men allegedly rammed their car and fled on foot.

Mr Rust said one of the men then charged police with a weapon and was shot. </s> Two brothers shot by counter-terrorism police at a campground near the Victoria-NSW border yesterday are the sons of a fugitive who died during a siege in 2014.

Former prison guard Rodney Clavell took his own life to end a 12-hour standoff with police at an Adelaide CBD brothel in 2014 after a 16-day manhunt.

The brothers shot yesterday are two of his four sons, 19-year-old Joel and 30-year-old Joshua Clavell, who police say are "reverts or converts" to an extreme form of Islam.

Joshua (left) and Joel Clavell were shot by police. (Supplied)

The men shot are the sons of former prison guard Rodney Ian Cavell, who died during a police siege. (AAP)

The siege Rodney Clavell was involved in brought Adelaide's CBD to a standstill in 2014. (AAP)

Counter Terrorism Command Assistant Commissioner Ross Guenther said this morning the brothers "have a very strong hatred of police as a result of their criminal history over a period of time".

Detectives were investigating Joshua Clavell's relocation from NSW to Victoria and were planning to interview him when they spotted the pair at the Barnawartha service station yesterday afternoon.

After a failed attempt to intercept the pair's vehicle, local police were called for back-up.

They tracked the brothers to the Richardsons Bend camp site, where the men allegedly rammed a police vehicle.

"(Police) were almost immediately challenged... with a tomahawk and a knife," Asst Comm. Guenther told 3AW's Neil Mitchell.

Joshua was shot first as he charged at police, while Joel was shot after refusing to surrender despite being tasered and capsicum sprayed.

Joshua Clavell is said to have convinced his brothers to convert to an extreme form of Islam. (Supplied)

Both were taken to Albury hospital, with Joel since transferred to Melbourne in a critical condition.

Joshua has a criminal history across three states and was released from a NSW prison in February.

Police believe the brothers may have been staying at the campsite to get "off the grid".

Asst Comm. Guenther told a press conference Joshua was on a list of more than 100 people being monitored for their risk to the community and had been so for two years.

"That older individual in our terminology would be at a threat level that's very high," he said.

"If we go to an extreme level, we pass that investigation across to the joint counter-terrorism team.

"In this case, it was one level below that."

The brothers "have a very strong hatred of police". (9News)

Asst Comm. Guenther confirmed Joshua had travelled to Bangladesh to get married.

Corrective Services NSW has issued a statement denying reports that the men were "radicalised" within their system and Asst Comm. Guenther said Joshua's extreme beliefs began before his recent prison stint.

"My understanding is the older brother made a commitment to this form of Islam several years ago," he said.

"He sought to impart that thinking to his brothers. I think that's occurred over a period of several years."

(9News)

The men were spotted by Counter Terror authorities at a service station before they allegedly rammed a patrol vehicle and threatened officers with weapons, and were ultimately shot. (9News)

He praised the efforts of local police and his detectives during the confrontation.

"I think the efforts of all of those involved actually is really brave … very, very brave," he said.

"No one of those people would have left yesterday thinking they would be confronted by that.

"I think the bigger concern going forward for anyone involved in these incidents and I've been involved in investigating these similar incidents over many years, our own people get very affected by the trauma this brings on."

Victoria's Homicide Squad is leading the investigation with oversight from Professional Standards Command.

Asst Comm. Guenther reaffirmed that there was no current terror-related threat being posed to the community, and that investigators were treating the incident as a violent attack against police.

*Readers seeking support can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14. </s> Two brothers armed with a knife and tomahawk were shot by police in Australia on Wednesday after a confrontation escalated when authorities tried to question the pair when they "unexpectedly" saw them at a gas station.

Victoria Acting Assistant Commissioner Clive Rust said at a news conference the men, ages 19 and 30, were taken to an area hospital after the shootings at Barnawartha North, located about 185 miles northeast of Melbourne.

Rust said that investigators from Counter Terrorism Command tried to intercept them when they saw them at a gas station.

When officers located the brothers, the men rammed the police vehicle before getting out and confronting the officers, News.com.au reported.

“The two males rammed the police vehicle and then alighted from their own vehicle and confronted the police,” Rust said. “The two males were armed with edged weapons. One man lunged at the officers and was shot."

The other was involved in a standoff with police for several minutes before also lunging and subsequently being shot, he added. Rust later said the "edged weapons" were a tomahawk and knife, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported.

The two men, who were not identified, had links to an outlaw motorcycle gang and converted to Islam while in prison, according to the Herald Sun.

Both had recently relocated to the region and were considered to be of "low-level interest" to counter-terrorism police.

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Rust said officers were trying to speak with the men as part of "standard procedure," and there was no ongoing investigation. He added that officials are treating the incident as a violent attack on police officers, not terror-related.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said on Twitter that authorities have advised there is no ongoing threat to the community.

"Following the incident in Barnawartha, I want to thank the brave @VictoriaPolice officers who put themselves in harm’s way every single day to keep Victorians safe," he said. </s> Police have shot two men at a Murray River campground.

Police have shot two men at a Murray River campground.

TWO brothers with terror and bikie links have been seriously wounded in a police shooting near a Murray River campground. Police opened fire after the men rammed a police car near the Victoria-NSW border and got out armed with weapons.

Police on Wednesday night said one of the armed brothers was shot as he lunged at an officer with a weapon, and the other was wounded after he refused to surrender.

The Herald Sun can reveal that the brothers, wounded on Wednesday in a confrontation on the banks of the Murray River, had outlaw motorcycle gang links. Aged 19 and 30, they are believed to be from NSW and had recently relocated to Victoria.

The brothers converted to Islam while in prison in NSW and are considered to be of low-level ­interest to counter-terrorism police.

Victoria Police said on Wednesday night there was no ongoing threat to the community. A major investigation was under way after the pair was ­seriously injured by gunfire after a vehicle stop in which a police car was rammed.

It is believed the violence had ­exploded when officers performed what has been described as a "precautionary" check on the suspects.

The men then rammed the police car and got out of their vehicle with weapons - thought to be a knife and a type of axe.

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They were shot at the isolated Richardsons Bend Campground, in Barnawartha North about 3pm.

Both were last night in hospital under police guard.

Police and ambulance officers rushed to the scene by road and helicopter. Paramedics worked on the ­injured men before they were taken to hospital.

Police were not seeking anyone else over the ­incident.

Acting Assistant Commissioner Clive Rust said investigators from Counter Terrorism Command "unexpectedly" saw the brothers in a service station and tried to intercept them, but they drove off.

He said the CT officers then asked for help from local uniformed members, resulting in the confrontation at Richardsons Bend.

"The two males rammed the police vehicle and then alighted from their own vehicle and confronted the police," Mr Rust said. "The two males were armed with edged weapons.

"One man lunged at the officers and was shot.

"There was a standoff between the officers and the second male for a number of minutes as the police attempted to negotiate with the man.

"Police tried to control this person by the use of nonlethal force. They utilised OC foam and a taser and then this male person lunged at police, and he was subsequently shot also."

The men were rushed to Albury Hospital in serious conditions.

One was later flown to Melbourne.

Mr Rust said there were indications the men were camping at Richardsons Bend.

He said CT officers wanted to speak to the men to "assess whether or not they were any risk to community safety.

"We're treating this as a violent attack on police members, not as a terrorism incident," Mr Rust said.

"They were residents of NSW and had recently moved into Victoria and that's the reason why our investigators were attempting to contact them to ascertain what the actual level of their involvement was in regard to counter-terrorism."

One of the offenders was shot in the abdomen and a leg.

The officers, from the Wodonga command area, would receive support from the force and the Police Association, Mr Rust said.

June Chilvers, who lives nearby, saw at least four police cars speed by her property in the aftermath.

"I saw them fly along, four cars," she said. "I saw them fly past."

John Malcolm, who lives about 2km from the campground, had been at Richardsons Bend just minutes before the shooting and saw nothing to ­indicate the trouble that followed. There was barely anyone staying at the camping spot in the cold and wet conditions.

"I saw one bloke, who I reckon lives down there, has a tent down there," Mr Malcolm said. "There's a lot of free camping, free parking," he said

The circumstances are expected to be the subject of an internal investigation, but Police Association secretary Wayne Gatt backed the officers' actions.

"As a community, we are all in debt to our police members every time they go out and put our safety ahead of their own," Mr Gatt said.

Makeshift shelters were set up at the scene where ­detectives were expected to work well into the night.

Premier Daniel Andrews said the government had advice that there was no ongoing threat to the community.

"I want to thank the brave Victoria Police officers who put themselves in harm's way every single day to keep Victorians safe," Mr Andrews said.

The isolated Richardsons Bend camping ground is a most unlikely venue for bullets to fly in a showdown between terror suspects and police.

Nestled under gum trees by the Murray River, it is a favoured holiday spot for locals and the odd visitor from outside the Barnawartha North area.

On Wednesday, wet and cold, there was even less to indicate the events about to unfold.

A local, John Malcolm, who lives about 2km away, was at Richardsons Bend just minutes before the shooting.

"I saw one bloke, who I reckon lives down there, has a tent down there" Mr Malcolm said.

"There was nothing going on whatsoever. It was quiet."

But at about 3am, all hell broke loose.

A vehicle containing two men drove into the reserve, closely followed by at least one police unit.

Anyone not knowing the area would probably be unaware they were heading for a dead-end - their escape route terminated by the Murray.

It is unclear where and why police wanted to intercept the pair.

But the Herald Sun has been told weapons were brandished by the cornered suspects at the campground.

An unknown number of shots were fired by the police in reply, sparking a huge emergency response.

It was not the kind of thing locals had ever expected would be played out on their patch.

"A lot of idiots go down there with the four-wheel-drives and tear the place up, but not shootings, not terror," Mr Malcolm said.

Another nearby resident, Tony, was stunned by the events and revelations of potential terror links.

"I'll make sure I've got my guns polished up for next time," Tony said.

"They didn't know the area obviously.

"They've gone down there and they couldn't get out.

"It's a real trap there. Right on the bloody water, right there on the river." </s> SYDNEY (AP) — The Latest on a knife attack in Melbourne (all times local):

Australian police say they believe an attack by a knife-wielding man who stabbed two people, one fatally, in the country's second-largest city is linked to terrorism.

The attack during the Friday afternoon rush hour brought central Melbourne to a standstill.

Police said the man got out of a vehicle, which then caught fire, and attacked three bystanders with a knife before being shot by police. The suspect died later at a hospital.

Victoria state police Commissioner Graham Ashton says the suspect, who was originally from Somalia, was known to police and the incident is being treated as terrorism.

Police shot a knife-wielding man Friday after he fatally stabbed one person and injured two others in the center of Australia's second-largest city, police said.

The incident, which brought central Melbourne to a standstill in the late afternoon rush, came after police responded to reports of a burning vehicle.

Officers were confronted near the burning car by a man "brandishing a knife and threatening them" while passers-by called out that people had been stabbed, Victoria state police Superintendent David Clayton said.

One of the stabbed people was dead at the scene and two others were taken to a hospital. </s> SYDNEY (AP) - The Latest on a knife attack in Melbourne (all times local):

The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for an attack in Australia that police say was linked to terrorism.

Police say the driver of a pickup truck got out of his vehicle, which then caught fire, and attacked three bystanders with a knife before being fatally shot by police on Friday in Melbourne, Australia's second-largest city.

Police said the attacker came from Somalia.

The militant group said in a statement released through its Aamaq media arm that the man was "one of Islamic State fighters" and carried out the attack in response to IS calls for attacks in countries that are part of the international coalition fighting the militants in Syria and Iraq.

IS, which has suffered heavy battlefield setbacks in Syria and Iraq in the past year, often claims attacks in an opportunistic vein.

Australian police say a pickup truck that caught fire in the country's second-largest city contained several barbeque gas cylinders and was part of an apparent terrorist attack.

Police said the driver got out of the vehicle, which then caught fire, and attacked three bystanders with a knife before being fatally shot by police.

The attack during the Friday afternoon rush hour brought central Melbourne to a standstill.

Victoria state police Commissioner Graham Ashton says the attacker was from Somalia and known to the authorities, mostly because of family members who were "persons of interest" to police.

Victoria state Premier Daniel Andrews says the attack was "an evil and terrifying thing that has happened in our city and state today."

Australian police say they believe an attack by a knife-wielding man who stabbed two people, one fatally, in the country's second-largest city is linked to terrorism.

The attack during the Friday afternoon rush hour brought central Melbourne to a standstill.

Police said the man got out of a vehicle, which then caught fire, and attacked three bystanders with a knife before being shot by police. The suspect died later at a hospital.

Victoria state police Commissioner Graham Ashton says the suspect, who was originally from Somalia, was known to police and the incident is being treated as terrorism.

Police shot a knife-wielding man Friday after he fatally stabbed one person and injured two others in the center of Australia's second-largest city, police said.

The incident, which brought central Melbourne to a standstill in the late afternoon rush, came after police responded to reports of a burning vehicle.

Officers were confronted near the burning car by a man "brandishing a knife and threatening them" while passers-by called out that people had been stabbed, Victoria state police Superintendent David Clayton said.

One of the stabbed people was dead at the scene and two others were taken to a hospital. </s> SYDNEY, Australia — The Latest on a knife attack in Melbourne (all times local): 9:35 p.m. Australian police say a pickup truck that caught fire in the country’s second-largest city contained several barbeque gas cylinders and was part of an apparent terrorist attack. Police said the driver got out of the vehicle, which then caught fire, and attacked three bystanders with a knife before being fatally shot by police. The attack during the Friday afternoon rush hour brought central Melbourne to a standstill. Victoria state police Commissioner Graham Ashton says the attacker was from Somalia and known to the authorities, mostly because of family members who were “persons of interest” to police. Victoria state Premier Daniel Andrews says the attack was “an evil and terrifying thing that has happened in our city and state today.” —— 8:45 p.m. Australian police say they believe an attack by a knife-wielding man who stabbed two people, one fatally, in the country’s second-largest city is linked to terrorism. The attack during the Friday afternoon rush hour brought central Melbourne to a standstill. Police said the man got out of a vehicle, which then caught fire, and attacked three bystanders with a knife before being shot by police. The suspect died later at a hospital. Victoria state police Commissioner Graham Ashton says the suspect, who was originally from Somalia, was known to police and the incident is being treated as terrorism. —— 7:30 p.m. Police shot a knife-wielding man Friday after he fatally stabbed one person and injured two others in the centre of Australia’s second-largest city, police said. The incident, which brought central Melbourne to a standstill in the late afternoon rush, came after police responded to reports of a burning vehicle. Officers were confronted near the burning car by a man “brandishing a knife and threatening them” while passers-by called out that people had been stabbed, Victoria state police Superintendent David Clayton said. One of the stabbed people was dead at the scene and two others were taken to a hospital.
Clavell brothers rammed a police car and then lunged at police with a knife and a tomahawk before they were shot on Wednesday afternoon by Victorian police.