‘Dangerous’ teen who plotted Anzac Day attack up for parole
A teen who plotted an Anzac Day attack in Melbourne with IS recruiter Neil Prakash, pictured, is up for parole just five years after being sentenced to life and could be out as early as next week with a new identity.
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A teenage terrorist who plotted a beheading rampage on Anzac Day and was sentenced to life in 2015 could be free as early as next week with authorities set to give him parole and a new identity.
The boy, codenamed RXG, was sentenced to life in October 2015 for organising and advising a plot to behead police and others during the Anzac Day march in Melbourne in 2015.
The British teenager was aged just 14 and sitting in his Northern England bedroom when he connected to notorious Australian Islamic State (IS) recruiter Neil Prakash and the pair plotted an attack in Australia, organising Melbourne-based Sevdet Besim to carry it out.
But the now aged 19-year-old, who for legal reasons cannot be identified, is being considered for parole, with his young age working in favour of his release.
This is despite internal police files since his remand questioning his remorse, severed links to IS and extremist views.
One probation report found he still ideologically aligned to IS, had a deep seated hate for the West, “shows no remorse and has shown limited progress since remand”.
His report also lists him as “dangerous and sophisticated”, a master manipulator despite his years and of high intelligence who while has no psychiatric disorder had posed “a significant threat” to the community.
His report concluded while he did recognise what he had done was wrong, “compelling evidence” would be required to prove jail had deradicalised him and he was not conning psychologists and authorities.
At his sentencing, the youth was sentenced to life but a judge said given his age he should be considered for parole after a minimum of five years: authorities have confirmed the review was underway with the view of returning him to the community albeit with a new identity.
He joins the infamous teen killers of British toddler James Bolger in being granted a rare court-ordered anonymity for life.
RXG, of Bangladeshi heritage who used his time in jail to become hafiz or expert in the Koran, used social media and online encrypted chat forums to recruit others to jihad including a mother in the United States who he said needed to grow her children to be suicide bombers and was in contact with known terrorist figures in France, Tripoli, Cape Town and London.
He was in contact with British firebrand preacher Shakil Chapra, aka Abu Haleema but it was Prakash (aka Khaled al-Cambodi) who furthered his cause.
He was considered Prakash’s “little brother” and communicated regularly.
RXG, who did not reveal his youth online, took on a fatherly role as he instructed Besim on his targets, starting with a random vulnerable “proper lonely person” to practise the art of beheading before focus on Anzac Day and police, running them over with a car, behead one and taking their weapon “to run to shahadah” (martyrdom).
“Make sure the dogs remember this as well as there (sic) fallen heroes,” Besim agreed as he and RXG refined the plot.
Besim is currently in jail serving 10 years, due for release in 2026.