Editorial: Police shooting, double murder reminder of terror threat

That a ‘fine young man’ from a good Queensland family could go from peaceful school leader to murderous ideologue only reinforces how dangerous and insidious the work of Islamic extremists remain.

Six years ago, Raghe Abdi was praised in federal parliament for his pursuit of peace and understanding. Two days ago, he was shot dead, shouting Allahu Akbar and lunging at police with a knife.

In between is the wicked work of ISIS, radicalising a young Queenslander, splitting him from his family, his community; the deaths of an elderly couple caught up in his extremist rampage; and, ultimately, his own death.

In May last year, counter-terrorism police stopped Abdi at Brisbane Airport as he tried to board a plane with a one-way ticket to Somalia, where Australian investigators believe he intended to fight for an ISIS affiliate.

Raghe Abdi was stopped by counter-terrorism police at Brisbane Airport last year as he attempted to leave the country. File picture

While he was not charged with terror offences, he would spend more than 400 days on remand for trying to get his mother and a friend to change their police statement, and for refusing police access to his phone. He was granted bail just three months ago, to live with his father, wear a GPS tracker and abide by a curfew.

Police say the 22-year-old’s rampage began without warning on Wednesday afternoon when he broke off his tracker. Hours later, he was confronted by police, called because he was walking along the Logan Motorway. When he shouted and lunged at them with the knife, he was shot dead.

In between, he has been linked to the death of Maurice and Zoe Antill, who were found dead in their home on Thursday, having suffered “significant injuries”.

It was only six years ago that federal MP Jim Chalmers stood up in parliament to praise Adbi and a fellow John Paul College student’s work to establish the prestigious school’s unity council in 2014. That the “fine young man” from a good Queensland family could go from peaceful school leader to murderous ideologue only reinforces how dangerous and insidious the work of Islamic extremists remain.

While ISIS and its false “caliphate” has been militarily destroyed, the fight for our safety and our young people is still being fought. And while the vile images of torture and beheadings beloved by these twisted extremists may have faded from the world’s memory as we grapple with COVID, we cannot afford for the victims to be forgotten.

ISIS victims – and there can be no other way of describing a young man so subverted by their devious schemes to the extent of killing others and the loss of his own life – live among us and threaten our cherished way of life.

The scene of the incident on Logan Motorway on Thursday morning.

The loss of two loving people claimed by Abdi is a double tragedy their family will now struggle with for a long time to come, if they can ever come to terms with such a senseless loss. But there is a third tragedy – that a young man could be so subverted by evil propaganda that he could take innocent lives in such a heinous and random act of violence.

His wicked actions are a terrible reminder that we cannot drop our guard, but that we also cannot turn our backs on communities being targeted by ISIS and its twisted acolytes. That Abdi, by his own admission, was suborned at the innocent age of 14 shows how determined ISIS is to recruit and arm itself with our young.

Nowhere is safe from the evil tentacles of Islamic extremists.

They must be defeated overseas, at home and inside the minds, phones and computers of our young. We cannot afford to lose any more lives.

Ian Thorpe now says he quit swimming far to soon.

LEGEND BEYOND THE POOL

Swimmer Ian Thorpe is deservedly hailed as a champion of the pool.

A world champion at 15, at 17 a three-time Olympic gold medallist in Sydney, then two more golds at Athens in 2004 when he was 21, he was a global superstar before most of us were old enough to finish high school. But when he shocked the world by retiring in 2006, swimming fans suspected he still had many years of competition success ahead of him.

Today the legend reveals he quit swimming far too young because he missed out on the proper help he needed to cope with the enormous pressure he was under.

It is hard to argue with Thorpe’s assessment that he should have swum at two more Olympics but the mental health help at the time was not available to him.

Fortunately, mental health has come a long way out of the shadows since then. And it is the actions and honesty of people like Thorpe standing up and talking about it that has opened our eyes.

As Thorpe says, it is impossible to judge how someone is feeling from how they look on the outside. He says he was fit and toned, but inside he was crying out for help.

It is a terrible shame he, and others in the past, didn’t get the assistance they needed. So let’s celebrate his achievements in the pool and also beyond the water – where he is helping to make a real difference and saving lives.

Responsibility for election comment is taken by the Editor Kelvin Healey, corner of Mayne Rd & Campbell St, Bowen Hills, Qld 4006. Printed and published by NEWSQUEENSLAND (ACN 009 661 778). Contact details are available at www.couriermail.com.au/help/contact-us