New youth terror cell uncovered, targeted in raids after Sydney church stabbing attack

Assaults on gay men allegedly committed by teens now accused of being part of a youth terror cell are set to be re-examined by police, to determine if they were “religiously motivated”.

Assaults on gay men allegedly committed by teens now accused of being part of a youth terror cell are set to be re-examined by police, to determine if they were “religiously motivated”.

The Daily Telegraph can reveal several of the youths targeted by police in widespread raids on Wednesday were currently before the courts on assault matters, the targets of who are understood to be homosexual men.

Those cases are now being looked at under a new lense after the teens charged were discovered to have links to the 16-year-old boy charged over the Wakeley church terror attack.

Police sources said they are “looking at the cause” of those alleged assaults and that it could be months before an outcome of any investigation.

WhatsApp group led to alleged youth terror cell

A WhatsApp group found on the phone of a 16-year-old charged with last week’s church stabbing attack led to the discovery of an alleged youth terror cell.

A young relative of an adult currently behind bars over terrorism offences is allegedly one of the members of the teen terror cell uncovered operating out of Sydney’s southwest suburbs.

The Daily Telegraph can reveal the concerning links to serious terrorism of the “extremist” group police believed was “likely” planning another attack, following last week’s Wakeley church stabbing.

Police admit they would have been unable to stop the group if its members attacked in a similar manner to that which unfolded at the Christ the Good Shepherd Church on April 15, forcing them to swoop on a dozen teens in raids on Wednesday.

The charging of a 16-year-old boy for the knife attack on Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel allegedly led police to look through his associates and discover he was part of a larger group of “religiously motivated violent extremists”.

One of the seven people arrested. Picture: NSW Police

One of the seven people arrested. Picture: NSW Police

Pictures: NSW Police

NSW Police Deputy Commissioner Dave Hudson said the threat of another terror attack was so real, authorities were forced to act before it occurred.

“It was considered that the group, subject of their attention, posed an unacceptable risk to the people of New South Wales, and our current purely investigative strategies could not adequately ensure public safety,” Dep Comm Hudson said.

“As a result, we determined that we needed to escalate our activities and that overt action was required.

“We believed, through the investigation, that it was likely that an attack might ensue.

“Their behaviour, whilst under that surveillance, led us to believe that, if they were to commit any act, we would not be able to prevent that.

“No specific targets had been nominated. However, it’s just the ongoing threat and loose nature of the group as well.”

NSW Police Deputy Commissioner David Hudson.

More than 400 officers from the NSW Police and AFP carried out raids in suburbs including Bankstown, Prestons, Casula, Lurnea, Rydalmere, Greenacre, Strathfield, Chester Hill, and Punchbowl, as well as a premises in Goulburn, on Wednesday, under a joint counter terrorism team (JCTT) investigation called Strike Force Mingary.

A total of seven teens were arrested and a further five questioned, with a large amount of electronic devices and material also seized.

Of the seven arrested teens, five were hit with a number of charges.

Two males, 17 and 14 years, were charged with possessing or controlling violent extremist material obtained or accessed using a carriage service.

Two 16-year-olds were charged with conspiring to engage in any act in preparation for, or planning, a terrorist act.

And a 17-year-old was charged with conspiring to engage in an act in preparation for, or planning, a terrorist act and custody of a knife in a public place.

All of the teens were refused bail to appear before a Children’s Court on Thursday.

The moment an alleged teenage terrorist stabbed Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel was captured on an online live stream.

Police sources described the group as incredibly “unpredictable” and said that with knives at their disposal if an opportunity had arisen for an attack, it would have occurred.

Of particular concern to them were “splinter cells” which had more severely radical views than others.

It is understood some members of the group who were spoken to by police had previously come to their attention for other offences, that were not terror related.

Dep Comm Hudson confirmed the members of the group were all known to each other, but some of them were more “closely” associated to the point where they had met up in person.

“We will allege that these individuals adhered to a religiously motivated violent extremist ideology,” he said.

“Whilst coordinated to some degree, there were splinter factions doing their own thing as well.

“There’s a crossover on individuals between different groups. But they are all known to each other - some quite closely.

“The terrorism landscape and the radicalisation of youth online is a continuing problem for us.”

The scene outside Christ the Good Shepherd Church in Wakeley after the alleged terror attack.

While the group mainly involves juveniles, some of those spoken to by police on Wednesday were over the age of 18.

Premier Chris Minns confirmed he was briefed on the counter-terrorism raids a night before by Police Commissioner Karen Webb, but stressed there had been no potential plot linked to Anzac Day commemorations.

“I was able to get a briefing from the New South Wales Police Commissioner before attending this media conference,” he said.

“It’s important to say there is no current threat to public safety and no connection to Anzac Day commemorations, I believe that’s important to state (due to) the proximity to Anzac Day.”

The alleged terror attack at Christ the Good Shepherd Church last week occurred during Bishop Mar Mari’s sermon, which was being live streamed online.

The teenager allegedly responsible for the attack on Bishop Mar Mari was tackled to the ground by parishioners, as he repeatedly tried to stab the elderly religious leader with what is believed to be a flick knife.

As the alleged attack unfolded the knife closed back on the teen’s hand, severing one of his fingers.

Incredible video of the attack quickly circulated online, resulting in an estimated 2,000 people descending on the streets outside the church and resulting in a major riot that saw more than 100 police cars damaged and several officers injured, including one suffering a broken jaw.

Strike Force Dribs has been set up by NSW Police to investigate the riot, with several arrests made so far.

THE NATIONAL THREAT

There is a “growing number” of minors in the counter-terrorism case load, Australia’s top spy boss has revealed amid ongoing raids across Sydney in the wake of the church stabbing attack.

ASIO boss Mike Burgess said on Tuesday it was unfortunate young people were increasingly appearing in counter-terror investigations, which peaked “a couple of years ago” at 50 per cent of the case load.

“It dropped off again for a while, but it’s picked up again,” he said.

“They’re a vulnerable cohort.”

Mr Burgess said there were a number of reasons for the concerning trend, describing the impact of social media as “one element” though “not the only one”.

“You used to lock the front door and that would give you safety. But if your children are on their devices and you’re not seeing what they’re seeing, that can pollute and corrupt and radicalise young minds,” he said.

“We see individuals and minors who get confused by the ideology and pick multiple elements.”

Mr Burgess said it was in the nation’s interest to put more resources into identifying the cause of the troubling trend and reverse it.

“Much more research would be required to understand what’s happening there, so we can counter it and make sure that these kids are on the right path,” he said.

“And when some of them do get caught, how we can quickly help them disengage and deradicalise.”

Acknowledging the raids in Sydney on Wednesday, Australian Federal Police Commissioner Reece Kershaw said law enforcement and security agencies had to make “lawful interventions to prevent any further planning or attack on our communities”.

“It is quite unique where we have the intelligence and security agencies embedded with police and some other agencies,” he said.

“We get across these matters pretty quickly, like we have right now, and there is a major operation right now under way in Sydney.”

Mr Kershaw said these police and intelligence teams had been “very successful” in preventing many attacks in Australia.

Asked if there was currently an increased risk in religiously-motivated terrorism, Mr Burgess said there were ideologies driving the current threat level, with the “principal group” being Neo Nazis.

“Terrorism threat level is possible, which means there is a 50 per cent chance that in the next 12 months or even right now there is someone planning an act of terrorism or will conduct an act of terrorism,” he said.

“The most likely attack will come from an individual or a small group of individuals that go to violence with little or no warning.”

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