Rossmoyne Senior High School parents flagged ‘disturbing behaviour’ before teen’s Bunnings carpark stabbing
Parents at one of Perth’s most prestigious schools repeatedly raised fears their children were being exposed to Islamist extremism before a radicalised pupil was shot dead.
Parents at one of Perth’s most prestigious schools repeatedly raised fears with authorities that their children were being exposed to Islamist extremism in the months leading up to the shooting death of one of their radicalised classmates.
In disturbing scenes in one of the city’s most family-friendly suburbs, the 16-year-old boy was shot dead by police on Saturday night in the Willetton Bunnings car park after he had stabbed a man in the back and went on to chase police cars while brandishing a knife.
The stabbed man is in a serious but stable condition in hospital.
WA Police Commissioner Col Blanch said the incident had all the hallmarks of a terrorist attack, revealing that the boy had been involved for the past two years in a program aimed at deradicalising indoctrinated individuals.
Police had been called to the car park soon after the boy had called triple-0 to warn that he was about to commit “acts of violence”. When three officers arrived at the Bunnings car park, the boy, who was brandishing a 30cm-long knife, charged at them. Tasers deployed by two of the officers failed to slow the boy. The third officer then fired a single, deadly shot.
Shortly before the attack, the boy sent a message to multiple people in which he foreshadowed his plans and urged his contacts to clear their laptops and phones of any “illegal or jihadi things”.
“Brothers please forgive me for any time I have wronged you, I am going in the path of jihad tonight for the sake of allah azzawajal, I am a soldier of the mujahideen of al-qaeda and take responsibility for the actions that will in sha allah ta’ala take place tonight,” he wrote.
Multiple recipients then called triple-0 but the boy had already begun his attack.
The boy, who has not been publicly identified, was a student at Rossmoyne Senior High School, a leading public high school. Its reputation means homes within the catchment area attract a premium, and the school’s gifted and talented program attracts students from across the metropolitan area. Parents at the school told The Australian there had been growing concerns within the school community about what they described as disturbing behaviour by a cohort of boys.
People in the local community had repeatedly tried to alert authorities about a group of radicalised boys within one local high school, with one concerned parent having gone to both WA’s Department of Education and the Australian Federal Police earlier this year over fears the boys were trying to “indoctrinate” their son. They said one boy in the group had taken a homemade bomb to school and had used the device to damage a toilet block. The same student, they said, made comments about taking a bomb to an upcoming graduation ceremony.
One Rossmoyne parent, Liberal candidate for Riverton Amanda Spencer-Teo, said there had been multiple “red flags” about the conduct of some boys at the school, and fears had been raised with local MPs at state and federal levels.
“Parents have been raising this with the school for some time,” she told The Australian. “The school and the department have failed to provide information to those concerned parents.
“His life could have been saved, this incident could have been averted, if he was given the help and care he needed.”
Commissioner Blanch said the boy was one of “three or four” under-18s in the deradicalisation program. “All police around the country have what is called the countering violent extremism program for those … exhibiting behaviours that might be religious or issues-motivated concerns,” he said. “We do have young people in those programs that have exhibited those behaviours. This 16-year-old caucasian male was part of that program.”
WA Police Minister Paul Papalia said no deradicalisation program could guarantee success.
“It is a really tough task and none of the programs that have been attempted anywhere have been universally successful,’’ he said. “They are confronting a serious challenge in changing someone who’s been radicalised and attempting to get them back into a more reasonable pathway.
“What it demonstrates is just how tough a task it is. Individuals acting alone in isolation from other people can easily be influenced online and we would not necessarily know about it, and they can act with little warning.”
Commissioner Blanch said the boy had been on the radar of authorities for at least two years.
The incident, however, played out in a matter of minutes.
The boy sent messages to people across the state’s Muslim community, with several of them then calling triple-0. The boy also called triple-0 himself, but did not provide a name or location.
The three officers arrived at the car park three minutes after a member of the public had alerted police to the presence of a male there carrying a kitchen knife.
The boy refused to put down his knife and advanced towards the officers. It was only after the shooting that the officers found a man who had been stabbed in the back by the boy. The man was not known to the boy.
John Chi, who was working in a restaurant next to Bunnings when he witnessed the shooting, said the body language of the boy made him think he was under the influence of drugs or was experiencing some sort of episode.
“The way he was approaching the police officers, it looked like he was on something,” Mr Chi said.
The incident immediately drew parallels with the recent stabbing at the Christ The Good Shepherd Church in Wakeley, Sydney, in which another 16-year-old boy attacked Assyrian bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel.
Commissioner Blanch said there was one key difference between the incidents. “We are dealing with complex issues with this 16-year-old, both mental health issues but also online radicalisation issues,” he said. “He is known to police, but we believe he very much is acting alone and we do not have concerns at this time that there is an ongoing network or other concerns that might have been seen over in Sydney.”
Four teenage associates of the Christ The Good Shepherd accused have since been charged with conspiracy to commit a terrorist attack.
Police confidence that the boy who was killed on Saturday night was acting alone means the stabbing will not be declared a terrorist incident for now.
Such a declaration would activate more resources, but police are confident such additional support is not necessary. “Whilst it meets the criteria, or at least the definition (of terrorism), that’s something we can work towards as we find out more information from the motivations behind this,” Commissioner Blanch said.
Anthony Albanese said he had received a briefing from ASIO director-general Mike Burgess and AFP Commissioner Reece Kershaw and there was “no ongoing threat” to the community. The Prime Minister said: “We are a peace-loving nation and there is no place for violent extremism in Australia.”
A message to Rossmoyne parents on Sunday confirmed one of the school’s student had died after “an incident” at the weekend.
A spokesman for the WA Department of Education said extra support would be provided for all students and staff at school on Monday and remain available for as long as it was needed.
The school has warned parents and students about “potential misinformation or inappropriate comments” on social media.
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