Two men were arrested by the Tactical Response Group and Serious Crime Squad members last week in connection to the stabbing of a man last month that police had not told the public about, citing unspecified “operational reasons”.

Detective Acting Senior Sergeant Trent Abbott said in a statement last Friday, that TRG and Serious Crime Squad members arrested a 26-year-old man at an unspecified time on Thursday on Old McMillans Rd for an assault that occurred on January 31, in Palmerston.

He said his alleged co-offender, a 23-year-old man, was arrested shortly after and both men were expected to be charged later that day.

Police did not provide any details of the assault the men were wanted in connection with, and police did not make public an assault on January 31 in Palmerston, or in the days following.

However, at a press conference last Friday afternoon, Acting Superintendent Karl Day said the Palmerston assault the men were wanted over involved the stabbing of someone both alleged offenders knew.

“We believe they were known to each other and the victim suffered a stab wound. They’re fine, they’re not in hospital, they’ve been fixed,” he said.

When he was asked by a reporter what treatment the person received he said they “required surgery”.

He said the victim did not come forward for almost a month, but that time frame was changed to a week when police were asked for clarification by the NT Independent.

When asked why the stabbing was not made public, police said in a statement: “…Due to operational reasons, the information pertaining to the matter was not released at the time of the assault occurring”.

They would not say if the man was stabbed in his home.

Supt Day told the February 23 press conference that police had been looking for the 26-year-old for about two weeks.

On February 15, police issued a press release saying they were looking for 26-year-old Ezra Austral, over an investigation into an assault in Palmerston last month. They provided no photo of him, or a description, but warned the public not to approach him if sighted.

Police would not give details of the assault Mr Austral was alleged to have committed, or if he was one of the men who was arrested.

Mr Austral was sentenced in 2018 to six years prison for leading police on a dramatic high-speed chase south of Darwin, ending a three-day crime spree that involved the theft of multiple cars.

He and two others pleaded guilty to a wide range of offences that happened in April 2017, including a carjacking which saw a woman pushed from a slowly moving car.

Mr Austral was also convicted of recklessly endangering serious harm to a police officer for speeding towards a constable who had to jump out of the way to avoid being hit.

“It was a great outcome, with both males being taken into custody without incident,” Snr Sgt Abbott said.