A 16-year-old boy, armed with a knife, was fatally shot by police after he stabbed a man in Perth, a city on Australia’s west coast, according to officials on Sunday.
The incident took place in the parking lot of a hardware store in suburban Willetton on Saturday night.
The teenager initially attacked the man and then charged at police officers before they opened fire, stated Western Australian Premier Roger Cook during a press briefing on Sunday.
“There are indications he had been influenced by extremist content online,” Cook mentioned at the news conference. “However, I want to reassure the community that it appears he acted alone,” he added.
A man in his 30s was discovered at the scene with a stab wound to his back. He was transported to a hospital in serious but stable condition, according to a police statement.
Col Banch talks to the press (Jimmy Baker/Getty Images)
In Sydney, a counterterrorism investigation has been underway following another incident involving a 16-year-old boy who attacked an Assyrian Orthodox bishop and priest in a church on April 15. The boy has been charged with committing a terrorist act, and six others linked to him have also been charged with various offenses related to planning or conspiring for terrorist acts. All are currently in custody.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was briefed on the Perth stabbing by Australian Federal Police Commissioner Reece Kershaw and ASIO Director-General Mike Burgess, who heads the nation’s main domestic intelligence agency.
“I have been informed that there is no ongoing threat to the community based on the information available,” Albanese stated.
“We are a nation that values peace, and violent extremism has no place in Australia,” he emphasized.
According to Western Australian Police Commissioner Col Blanch, authorities received an emergency call from a teenager after 10 p.m., indicating intentions of committing acts of violence.
The boy had been involved in a program designed for young individuals deemed at risk of radicalization, Blanch noted.
“I hesitate to say he has been radicalized because this is part of the ongoing investigation,” he remarked.
