A 15-year-old boy who claimed to be a friend of a teen accused of stabbing a Sydney bishop applied for bail on a charge of planning a terrorist attack. Along with five other teens, ages 14 to 17, he was charged with various offenses related to conspiring to engage in a terrorist act. Police allege that the group adhered to a religiously motivated, violent extremist ideology. The 15-year-old’s lawyer argued for his release on bail due to exceptional circumstances, including behavioral issues, lack of confidence, and low self-esteem. The decision on his bail application will be made by Magistrate James Viney.
The prosecutor opposed the bail application, stating that the boy’s circumstances were not exceptional, but rather the norm for a young person facing a terrorism accusation. The boy had been part of an encrypted chat group where he discussed targeting Jewish people and referred to the teen charged with the stabbings as his mate. The bishop’s attacker, charged with committing a terrorist act, was arrested four days after the stabbing at Christ the Good Shepherd Church. The attack led to a riot outside the church and a major counterterrorism response that resulted in the arrest of six more teens the following week.
The 15-year-old’s lawyer argued that his client had put on a macho performance on social media messages about planning an attack, but was not the “monster” portrayed by prosecutors. The boy was charged a day after his alleged associates, and two hand-drawn Islamic State group flags were found in his bedroom during a police raid. He appeared in court via video link from a detention center with his parents present. The decision on his bail application will be made as early as Thursday, based on the arguments presented by both the defense and prosecution.
The case has raised concerns about the radicalization of young people in Australia and the potential for extremist violence. The boys involved in the alleged plot were part of a network that shared a common extremist ideology and had discussed plans to carry out a terrorist attack. The stabbing of a bishop and priest during a church service broadcast online was a shocking incident that prompted a swift response from law enforcement agencies. The subsequent arrests of seven teenagers, including the 15-year-old boy, have highlighted the need for vigilance in identifying and preventing extremist activities.
The prosecution’s argument that the boy’s circumstances were not exceptional due to his behavioral issues and a history of low self-esteem raises questions about the factors that contribute to radicalization among young people. The presence of Islamic State group flags in the boy’s bedroom and his association with a chat group discussing extremist ideas further underscores the seriousness of the charges against him. The decision on his bail application will be closely monitored as it may set a precedent for how cases involving juvenile offenders charged with terrorism-related offenses are handled in the future.
