The hallmarks of a terrorist act

Religious-driven extremist violence raised its deadly, ugly head again on Saturday night, for the second time in three weeks. Much remains to be found out about the 16-year-old caucasian boy who was shot dead by police after he stabbed a man and rushed at officers outside a Bunnings store at Willetton, in Perth’s southern suburbs. The victim of the stabbing is in hospital in a serious, stable condition with stab wounds to his back. Police said the incident had the “hallmarks” of a terrorist act. The knifeman, who was known to police, had been part of a program of deradicalisation since 2022. Such programs are valuable but, as West Australian Police Minister Paul Papalia said, deradicalising people was a “tough job” and no program has been universally successful.

The boy was reportedly radicalised online. Malign online influences have also emerged as a factor behind the stabbing attack on April 15 at Christ the Good Shepherd Church in Wakeley, western Sydney, that left Assyrian bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel without an eye. Five teenagers, alleged associates of the 16-year-old boy who allegedly stabbed the bishop, have been charged with terrorism and extremism offences. Two of the group, a 14-year-old boy and a 17-year-old boy, have been charged with possessing violent, extremist material on their mobile phones. That material allegedly included instructions on how to make a bomb and graphic videos produced by Islamic State showing beheadings, people being run over by armed vehicles, and homophobic violence.

ASIO director-general Mike Burgess recently raised serious concerns about the extent to which social media networks are allowing terrorists and criminals to put themselves beyond the reach of the law. Describing the internet as the world’s most potent incubator of extremism, Mr Burgess raised the alarm about end-to-end encryption and called on big tech to establish lawful access solutions that could be applied in very tightly controlled and targeted situations.

Given the recent spate of attacks, such reform needs to be part of preventing terror from escalating. Without reform, Mr Burgess said, “unaccoun­table encryption” was akin “to building a safe room for terrorists and spies, a secure place where they can plot and plan … Imagine if there was a section of a city where violent extremists could gather with privacy and impunity. Imagine if they used this safe space to discuss terrorism and sabotage, and vilify Muslims, Jews, people of colour and the LGBTQIA+ community. And imagine if the security service and police were stopped from entering that part of town to investigate and respond.”

It is heartening, as WA Premier Roger Cook revealed on Sunday, that members of Perth’s Muslim community made multiple calls to triple 0, concerned about the boy, shortly before the incident occurred about 10pm on Saturday in a carpark outside Bunnings. Decent, peace-loving Australian Muslims and their leaders have a major role to play in steering vulnerable young people away from extremism, radicalisation and violence. Where possible, they should help thwart attacks before they happen. Sometimes that could involve young Muslims needing to blow the whistle on other young people.

After violent acts in Sydney and Perth, preventing radicalisation, and the violence it fosters, has again become a national security priority, to a degree not seen or needed since Islamic State gathered supporters in Australia more than a decade ago.