Western Australia: Radicalised teen’ shot dead by police in Willetton after stabbing
From WA Today and the Herald Sun
A “radicalised” teenage boy was shot dead by police following an “extremely confronting” incident in Perth’s southern suburbs on Saturday night.
WA Premier Roger Cook said a 16-year-old boy was shot by a police officer after rushing him with a knife in a Bunnings car park on High Street in Willetton about 10pm.
“A 16-year-old male armed with a knife who had already wounded a member of the public, rushed the attending officers, in response a police officer discharged his firearm fatally wounding the male,” he said. “There are indications [the teenager] had been radicalised online. Members of the WA Muslim community who were concerned by his behaviour contacted police prior to the incident and I thank them for their help…”
WA Police Commissioner Col Blanch said several people called triple zero concerned about the actions of the teenager, after he indicated he was going to hurt people.
The teen, who was a Caucasian male who had converted to Islam, also called police and told them he was going to commit acts of violence, but did not tell the phone operator who or where he was.
Blanch said the teen had a complex mental health history and was taking part in a rehabilitation program for people who had been radicalised online. He had been in the program since he was 14.
“We believe he was very much acting alone. We do not believe there was a network involved,” he said.
Blanch declined to declare the event a terror incident. “Because this is a person acting alone, I don’t need additional capability at this time. Whilst it meets the criteria, or at least the definition [of a terrorist act], that’s something we can work towards as we find out more information from the motivations behind this…”
Blanch said this type of event in Perth was very rare.
The authorities thought the boy who attacked Bishop Mar Mari and his priest in Sydney last month was ‘acting alone’ until they found the little gang that surrounded him.
WA Police Minister Paul Papalia said the community violence extremism program the teenager was taking part in was based on a neo-Nazi program in the Netherlands and focused on de-radicalising people.
WA Premier Roger Cook . . . will hold a meeting with multi-faith community leaders later on Sunday. And the Muslims who ‘raised concern’ will be praised; but remember it is easier to hand in a stranger than a blood relative of the close-knit clan.
The Imam of Perth’s largest mosque, the Nasir Mosque, Imam Syed Wadood Janud condemned the attack in the strongest terms.
“The whole community is shook, and we are all concerned regarding the perpetrators’ online radicalisation that early reports are hinting towards,” he said. “There is no place for violence in Islam. We appreciate the effort of the police to keep our communities safe. I also want to commend the local Muslim community who had flagged the individual prior with the police.”