A 16-year-old boy in Perth was shot dead by police after stabbing a man. The boy had been participating in a deradicalization program for two years but had no criminal record. Authorities stated that he had no links to a network of teen extremists in Sydney. The boy had expressed dangerous views and had the potential to be radicalized, according to Western Australia Police Minister Paul Papalia. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese expressed concern about the influence of social media in promoting extreme positions.
The boy had called the police late Saturday and indicated that he was about to commit acts of violence, but did not specify where. Shortly after, a member of the public reported seeing the boy with a knife in a hardware store parking lot. Three police officers responded, with one armed with a gun and two with stun guns. Despite attempts to use the stun guns, the boy was not incapacitated and was fatally shot. The stabbing victim, a man in his 30s, was wounded in the back and was in a serious but stable condition at a Perth hospital.
Authorities revealed that the boy had received support from the local Muslim community prior to the incident. He had sent a text message to associates stating his intention to go on the path of jihad for the sake of Allah, prompting concerns that led to police intervention. While the incident had similarities to a terrorist attack, police did not officially declare it as such. The investigation did not require additional federal resources, indicating that the situation was believed to be isolated.
The boy’s behavior had raised concerns at his school, with reports suggesting that he and several other students were attempting to radicalize classmates. The Premier of Western Australia acknowledged that the boy had extremist thoughts and was part of the Countering Violent Extremism program due to these beliefs. However, the government’s response to the concerns raised by parents and the school remained unclear. The incident was compared to a previous terrorist act in Sydney involving the stabbing of an Assyrian Orthodox bishop and priest, which led to more arrests of teenagers linked to extremist ideology.
The church stabbing in Sydney stirred controversy among Muslim leaders, who criticized the police for labeling it a terrorist act while not doing the same for a previous massacre at a shopping mall. The attacker in the shopping mall incident, who had a history of schizophrenia, targeted women and killed six people before being shot dead by the police. Authorities have not disclosed the motive behind that attack. The incidents highlight the complex issues of mental health, extremism, and online radicalization that must be addressed by the government and society as a whole.
