Beheading threat puts violent teen on national security list

He has wreaked havoc within the state’s juvenile justice network. But a threat to behead a police officer has landed a 17-year-old on the “national security interest inmate”. FIND OUT WHAT HE DID.

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A teenage Muslim convert who threatened to behead police officer is now under extreme surveillance after being designated a “national security interest inmate”.

The 17-year-old joins five other young terrorist-related offenders within the State’s juvenile justice system on the list.

The listing means the teenager will be subjected to extreme monitoring together with restrictions on visitors, telephone calls and mail.

The designation followed advice from the NSW Juvenile Justice Countering Violent Extremism Unit, which had been monitoring the detainee after he had shown signs of radical behaviour.

The teen inmate had been housed at the Frank Baxter Juvenile Justice Centre where he attacked staff. Picture: Tim Hunter.

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It is understood this included carving extremist comments onto the back of a door and giving the Isis symbol.

The teen threatened to behead a police officer last year, triggering the request for the upgraded designation for making “statements advocating support for terrorism and violent extremism”.

A Juvenile Justice spokesman said detainees designated as an NSI were kept separate from each other.

“Juvenile Justice currently has six detainees designated as National Security Interest (NSI),” he said.

“Detainees on the NSI are strictly monitored by the Countering Violent Extremism unit within the Juvenile Justice system.

“They are subjected to increased monitoring of their communications including restrictions on mail, telephone calls and visitors.”

The teenager, who was incarcerated on robbery and assault offences, is regarded among juvenile justice office as one of 12 violent detainees in the system, with staff transferring him between Cobham and Frank Baxter Juvenile Justice Centres in an effort to control his behaviour.

The teen was later transferred to the Cobham Juvenile Justice Centre at Werrington.

Last year, three officers required medical treatment after the detainee bit, headbutt and threw a chair during an altercation.

Several weeks after the incident, the detainee was again involved in an incident which left an officer with a back injury.

The incident triggered a stop work meeting, with officers accusing the department management of failing to provide a safe working environment.

The State government has since set up a working group to investigate the establishment of a specialised unit for the State’s most challenging detainees.

Under the Children (Detention Centre) Act, a court may consider to deem a young person terrorism-related offender if they engage in making a threat of violence of a kind that is promoted by a person, group of persons or organisation, or an ideology, that supports terrorist acts or violent extremism.

While children who enter the juvenile justice system are not allowed to legally change religions, they are allowed to practice alternate faiths.

It is understood the detainee had no faith upon entering the system, but now identifies as a Muslim.

The other detainees on the NSI list are understood to have been convicted or are facing charges related to terrorism acts committed outside the system.

The NSI designation was introduced into the juvenile justice system last year — three years after it came into effect in adult prisons.