Sydney teen terror suspects’ alleged online network of Islamists revealed in court

The western Sydney teens accused by police of being part of a nascent terror cell cultivated an intimate online network of fellow Islamists to speak about jihad and also accessed Islamic State websites

The western Sydney teens accused by police of being part of a nascent terror cell cultivated an intimate online network of fellow Islamists – including from overseas – to speak about jihad and also accessed Islamic State websites that displayed recipes to make weapons, police allege.

Police allege intercepted messages show the four teenagers, a 15-year-old, a 16-year-old and two 17-year-olds, grew increasingly feverish about their alleged plans to execute a terrorist attack in recent weeks after another boy, who they knew, allegedly stabbed Christian Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel at his Wakeley church on April 15.

But, before they could act out their alleged plans, they were arrested in anti-terror police raids last Wednesday during which officers allegedly found two hand drawn Islamic State flags in the 15-year-old’s bedroom, police have claimed.

According to a police fact sheet tendered to court, the 16-year-old said in a message he had been in contact with like-minded people overseas about their alleged plans shortly before their arrests.

Police raids allegedly uncovered hand drawn Islamic State flags. Picture: Getty Images

“I was talking to members from overseas … we were planning, wallah (I swear to God), we were planning something huge here bro, you don’t understand huge, akhi, you don’t get it bro, I had all of these recipes,” he allegedly said.

And when speaking about acquiring guns, the 16-year-old said the man he could source them from was also “the way I’m going to move overseas”, according to the fact sheet.

Police conducted counter terrorism raids across Sydney and Goulburn last week. Picture: NSW Police

The counter terrorism raids spanned 13 locations across Sydney and the regional NSW town of Goulburn. Picture: NSW Police

Meanwhile, the 15-year-old allegedly spoke on TikTok to someone who claimed they knew people involved in a terror attack in France.

The 15-year-old allegedly gleefully wrote: “I wanna do an attack on France so bad … I hate them”.

His online acquaintance wrote back of the incident in France: “My friend did it months ago after we did manifestations … I got arrested”.

Interested, the 15-year-old allegedly inquired: “Did the attack happen … is it on the news?” to which his friend wrote back “Yes it is … a knife attack”.

High profile Sydney solicitor Ahmed Dib is representing the 15-year-old.

Lawyer Ahmed Dib is representing the 15-year-old boy. Picture: Max Mason-Hubers

When contacted on Monday, Mr Dib said: “There’s always a presumption of innocence, it’s the cornerstone of our legal system and, until the brief has been served, the Australian way of doing things is to keep an open mind”.

On another occasion, the police fact sheet claims that the 16-year-old mentioned an Islamic State website that had recipes to make weapons while discussing if an undercover operative could access the site.

“How is a fed gonna have access to the dawla islamiyya (Islamic State) server? With real members that have recipes and everything,” he allegedly wrote.

The 15-year-old is also believed to have spoken to someone online with a profile name that mentioned “uncle” while discussing sectarian tensions between Assyrian Christians and Muslims in the Fairfield area following the Wakeley incident.

After the bishop had been stabbed, thousands of men descended on streets and damaged dozens of police cars, inflaming tension in the multicultural area.

Texts also circulated calling on Assyrians to retaliate to the attack.

The 15-year-old allegedly said: “I’m ready to go to war” to which the uncle replied: “everyone is”.

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