Adelaide Anzac Day service teen terror threat

A teenage terrorist who blames autism and wants home detention said he would target an Anzac Day service if released, a court has heard.

Australia’s youngest-ever terrorist told case workers that, once released from detention, he will either stage or join an attack on an Anzac Day service, a court has heard.

The District Court has also heard the boy, 16, somehow obtained a book about the September 11 terror attacks while in youth detention and drew pictures of “masked IS fighters with weapons”.

The revelations about the boy’s conduct emerged on Tuesday, as his counsel asked he be sentenced as a youth to strict home detention, rather than to jail as an adult.

They argued he was not radicalised but a “fixated” person with Autism Spectrum Disorder “attempting to socially connect” – a claim rejected by Judge Paul Muscat.

“I do not accept that, I just do not accept that … socially connect with who? People with like-minded views?” he asked.

“He clearly has ASD, but that does not excuse or explain the offending behaviour (and) doesn’t mean he was not radicalised.

“What do I make of your submission when he was found drawing the IS flag and masked IS fighters carrying weapons, and had a book that commemorated the 9-11 terror attacks? How was he able to obtain access to that book in detention?

“More recently, there were comments made that, if he were not in detention next year on Anzac Day, he would ‘do something’ – and referenced interstate acts involving others planning to attack a service.

“I need to know if his risk is high, moderate or low … from what I can gather right now, it’s in the high range … his sympathies to IS have not diminished.”

The boy pleaded guilty to seven charges ranging from possessing and distributing extremist material through to possessing documents that could be used for a terrorist attack.

Those offences occurred at South Plympton between January 14 and March 16, 2022.

He admitted possessing extremist material, providing bomb-making instruction to others via the internet and speaking the Bay’ah – the Islamic State pledge of allegiance.

Since his arrest, authorities have found a homemade IS flag in the boy’s detention centre room and he has used a knife and a sharpened toothbrush in violent incidents.

The court heard the boy, 16, said he would attack next year’s Anzac Day service if released from detention. Picture: Russell Millard Photography

On Tuesday, prosecutors asked Judge Muscat to sentence the boy as an adult – exposing him to a maximum seven-year prison term – and impose a long non-parole period.

Chris Weir, for the boy, said he would call expert evidence from a forensic psychologist to support his client’s plea to be sentenced, as a youth, to no more than three years’ jail.

Judge Muscat said that was necessary, given the “contradictions” between the boy’s account and the evidence before the court.

“His claim he wasn’t really pledging allegiance to IS, and all he was doing was demonstrating to others how to properly pledge the Bay’ah, I can’t accept,” he said.

He remanded the boy in custody for further submissions in September.