Police commissioner says police investigating whether SW teen was radicalised before ‘threat’ against mosque

WA’s top cop says police are investigating whether an Eaton teenager who allegedly threatened to copy the Christchurch terror attack at a Sydney mosque had been radicalised online or was simply making a “silly” comment. The 16-year-old boy, who was arrested at his Eaton home on Tuesday night, allegedly posted comments on Instagram that threatened to carry out a mass shooting at the newly opened Australian Islamic House — Masjid Al-Bayt Al-Islami — in Edmondson Park. NSW Police alerted WA Police to the threat on Tuesday after a member of the mosque spotted the comment on its Instagram page, “I’m about to christ church 2.0 this join(t)“. The boy was charged with “creating false apprehension to the existence of threats or danger” — which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years behind bars — and was granted bail to face Bunbury Children’s Court on April 4. Police Commissioner Col Blanch said the boy was given bail with a “a number” of strict conditions including not to attend any mosques, to remain at home and a ban from travelling. Mr Blanch said there was no ongoing threat to the community but that the investigation was ongoing. “We are confident he (the boy) doesn’t have the means or the capability to carry out any threat like that, however, this is a very serious charge, and we are continuing to investigate the causes and the associates he may have had online,” he said. Asked if it was believed the boy was being radicalised online or if what he said was a “silly comment”, Mr Blanch said: “That is what the investigation is yet to determine.” Mr Blanch said the teen’s devices were seized. “We can take over their account and we can download all of their history of what they have been seeing and doing,” he told ABC Radio. “So the investigation into the motivation, the causes, the network, all of those things, if they exist — now at this point in time, based on this charge we think there was no way he could carry out that threat. “There is no ongoing threat, we don’t believe there to be a network of people here or across Australia that is involved in this threat.” Mr Blanch said the boy was not known to police and did not appear to have any links to NSW. He said police were able to track the device within hours of NSW Police alerting the joint counter terrorism team and had help from social media companies. Mr Blanch added the boy allegedly “made a comment that has created significant fear in the Islamic community in New South Wales and the mosque, and that is horrific for our community”. “This is a real fear about a tragedy that occurred in Christchurch that the entire of Australia knows about — the Islamic community, understandably, felt immediate fear,” he said. Mr Blanch said the boy’s parents were “horrified” by the allegations and were being “fully cooperative” with police. “I think they are sitting there wondering, ‘how did this happen to us?’. Parenting is hard at the best of times, but be plugged into your children’s activities online, because if they go down this pathway, because if they have people in blue, and in this case, probably in black, turn up to your house and come through your front door is a nightmare no one wants,” he said. Mr Blanch said all parents had a responsibility to ensure they spoke with children about their online activity. “Again, I’ve got to reinforce, what goes on in a home, with parents and communication with their children. It speaks to the heart of how we can resolve this as a community,” he said. “Talk to them early, you know, don’t start now, start when they’re born, talk to your kids, read to your kids. “Old school discipline is not a problem, and by old school, I mean, give them boundaries in life, get the devices off them, have dinner with them, talk to them, don’t just let them sit on devices all night.” Mr Blanch said police would monitor the boy while he is out on bail, but would also ensure he received support. “The fact that someone could be sitting in a room in Bunbury making threats to a mosque in Sydney is frightening. It should be frightening for us all,” he said. Premier Roger Cook said the alleged offending was out of character for the teen. “Online radicalisation of Western Australians and everyone in our community is a concern, and it’s something that Western Australian police put all resources into and undertake significant surveillance,” he said. “We know that young people in particular, they’re sitting in their bedrooms at night, they’re watching social media. “They’re feeding off a lot of the hatred, and it’s a vision that you see brought right across the globe, and therefore are vulnerable.That’s why we need to continue to make sure that we’re educating people, that we have programs to allow them to de-radicalise in the event that it’s taken us a little while to get to them.” Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles on Wednesday said the online post was “an abhorrent act”. “I know that this has been deeply disconcerting for the community in and around that mosque,” he said. “It’s an appalling reference to what occurred at Christchurch and there can be no tolerance of this. “It is fundamentally anti-Australian to be engaging in this kind of activity and there is no place for Islamophobia in our nation. “And it’s really important that we are standing with that community today and we are calling this out for what it is.” In a joint statement, the Alliance of Australian Muslims and the Australian National Imams Council said the threat had prompted grave concerns for the safety of Muslims, at a time when thousands of worshippers were gathering for prayers during the holy month of Ramadan. “These vile threats come amidst a disturbing rise in violent Islamophobic attacks which are contributing to a climate of fear and insecurity,” it said.