In a recent case in Sydney, Australia, a 14-year-old boy was granted bail after being charged with possessing violent extremist material. The police had arrested the boy, along with several other teenagers, after determining that there was a threat to the people of New South Wales. The boy’s defence lawyer argued that the police fact sheet only accused the child of having been sent the videos, not disseminating or viewing them. The magistrate acknowledged the seriousness of the material but took into account the boy’s age, lack of maturity, and limited understanding of Arabic, the language used in the videos.
Magistrate Paul Mulroney granted bail to the child, imposing strict conditions such as not leaving the house without a parent and being barred from using social media. Despite the seriousness of the charges, the magistrate believed that the boy, who comes from a stable family and had no prior criminal record, was not likely to face a full-time jail sentence if convicted. However, the prosecutor’s intention to appeal the decision on bail means that the child will remain in custody until the NSW Supreme Court decides otherwise.
The arrest of the 14-year-old boy was part of a larger counter-terrorism operation involving more than 400 officers from the Joint Counter-terrorism Team (JCTT). The operation targeted several locations in Sydney’s south-west, resulting in the arrest of several teenagers on various charges related to violent extremist material and terrorist acts. The investigation stemmed from an incident in Wakeley where a bishop was attacked, leading to a riot involving hundreds of people who turned on the police.
The JCTT had been monitoring the teenagers involved in the operation following the Wakeley attack, and authorities determined that the risk to the public was too great to continue surveillance. Police believed that the group posed an unacceptable risk to the people of New South Wales and that purely investigative strategies could not ensure public safety. The investigation into the Wakeley incident focused on both the alleged offender’s extremist ideology and his network of associates and peers, as well as the subsequent riot that erupted after the attack.
As the police questioned the teenagers arrested in the counter-terrorism operation, they also arrested two more individuals suspected of involvement in the riot. Both men, aged 52 and 31, were charged with rioting, assault, and throwing projectiles at police officers during the incident. The police believe that more individuals could be charged as investigations continue, with the total number of people arrested for rioting potentially reaching 50. The case highlights the ongoing efforts by authorities to prevent and address violent extremism and terrorist activities in the community.
