The Perth teenager shot dead by police in a suburban car park after he stabbed a man rang police before the assault, warning he was going to “commit acts of violence” and told friends he was going “in the path of jihad”.
The 16-year-old teenager, who cannot be named, was shot dead in the car park of Bunnings Warehouse in Willetton, in Perth’s south, on Saturday night, after he stabbed a man in the back and then refused police orders to put down his knife.
Immediately before the attack, police received a triple-zero call from a person, believed to be the teenager, who told the operator they were “going to commit acts of violence”, before hanging up.
The boy also messaged multiple people before the assault saying: “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 [sic].”
Several of those who received the message called police. Police also received reports of a person “running around a car park” carrying a large knife.
Three police officers confronted the teenager in the car park. Two officers drew their Tasers and a third drew a firearm. When asked to put down the knife, the 16-year-old did not respond and, according to body-camera footage, ran at the officers.
The first two officers fired their Tasers but when the teenager allegedly continued to approach, the third officer fired a single shot, fatally wounding the 16-year-old, police said.
It was only after the teenager was shot that police discovered the man he had stabbed in the back. The man, aged in his 30s, was taken to hospital in a serious but stable condition.
WA police commissioner, Col Blanch, said the teenager acted alone in what appeared to be a “a very sad and tragic outcome”. He said any trigger for the incident was unknown.
The teenager was not known to be involved at any local mosques. He had suffered mental health issues, was known to police and had been involved in a countering violent extremism (CVE) program since 2022 when he was 13, the commissioner said.
Blanch said the teenager 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.”
The WA premier, Roger Cook, said on Monday that the attack had “all the hallmarks of a terrorist incident”.
“This young man was harbouring some extremist thoughts, which is the reason why he was part of the countering violent extremism program,” he said.
The state’s 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 on to 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.”
The teenager attended nearby Rossmoyne Senior high school. Parents at the school had previously raised concerns about an alleged cohort of radicalised boys at the school, with at least one parent having flagged concerns to the WA education department and to the Australian federal police that the group had tried to “indoctrinate” their son.
The deteriorating behaviour of the 16-year-old was so concerning, a letter had been sent to the education minister about him, Cook confirmed.
But the premier said while the education department “continued to manage” the teenager, police could not intervene because he had not committed any crime.
Cook did not say who wrote the letter.
“The minister automatically referred the letter to the education department for actioning,” Cook said.
“The education department took that information on board and continued to manage that young man.”
Cook said the boy had not, to that point, committed a crime, so police could not intervene.
“The police are responsible for enforcing the law. The law does not prohibit people from having extreme thoughts,” he said.
At the school on Monday a parent, Niranji Wickranasinghe, said it was understood the teenager converted to Islam a few years ago.
“He was a very kind-hearted, helpful child. My son, who is in year 9, has said he was very friendly and he has helped him before as a friend and he’s a good child,” she said.
“I think they said he was watching some videos online … he’s not a bad kind of child … but because of these online issues, I think he has gone mad.”
The imam of Perth’s largest mosque, Nasir Mosque, said the city’s Islamic community feared a wave of Islamophobic backlash in the aftermath of the attack.
“We’re extremely concerned about Islamophobia,” the iman, Syed Wadood Janud, said.
“Sometimes the backlash can be very harsh, and that’s why we want to reach out to the wider community.
“We condemn any act of violence which is committed in our name, in the name of our religion. Our religion literally means peace.”
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, said he had received a briefing from the Asio director general, Mike Burgess, and AFP commissioner, Reece Kershaw, and said there was “no ongoing threat” to the community.
“We are a peace-loving nation and there is no place for violent extremism in Australia,” he said.
