Perth, Australia – Australian police reported that a 16-year-old boy, who was shot and killed by law enforcement after stabbing a man in Perth, had been involved in a deradicalization program following his detonation of an explosive device in a school two years ago.
The teenager, who had previously detonated a homemade explosive device at his school, injured a man with a kitchen knife before being fatally shot by police. According to police reports, the boy had transmitted a text message to associates indicating his intentions to engage in violent acts for religious reasons.
This incident marked another unsettling episode of knife-related violence in Australia, occurring shortly after two Assyrian Orthodox clerics were attacked in a Sydney church, and a separate incident at a shopping mall left six individuals dead and a dozen others wounded.
Authorities disclosed that the teenager had been participating in a deradicalization program funded by the government since his involvement in the school explosion. Throughout the program’s duration, he had received treatment for both mental health concerns and extremist tendencies.
Despite his participation in the program, law enforcement expressed concerns pertaining to the boy’s behavior and ideology. While the program has shown some success, authorities emphasize that it is not without flaws.
Following the incident, social media footage of the explosion at the school surfaced, showing students fleeing the scene. Subsequent investigations revealed that the education department had followed appropriate protocols when addressing concerns about the student’s extremist views.
Although the boy was not charged in connection with the explosion, police maintained a visible presence around the school to reassure the community. These actions were taken in response to social media speculation about potential threats made by a student, which were later determined to be unfounded.
As investigations unfolded, authorities found no links between the teenager in Perth and a group of teen extremists in Sydney, where a series of violent incidents had recently occurred. Despite some criticism from Muslim community leaders regarding the labeling of certain incidents as terrorism, police continue to prioritize public safety in the face of escalating violence.