A 17-year-old Canberra resident, already in custody on earlier firearm and terrorism-related charges, has been hit with two new, historic charges in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) in connection to an alleged far-right extremist plot to carry out a deadly terror attack against random civilians. This development marks the first time any individual has been charged with terrorist act planning in the ACT’s history.
The teenager was first taken into custody by law enforcement in November 2023, when authorities executed a search warrant at his residential property. During that operation, investigators seized a cache of prohibited items: explosive precursor chemicals, gas masks, military-style tactical clothing, a replica imitation firearm, printed extremist ideological material, and the teen’s personal mobile phone. He has remained in detention ever since his initial arrest.
On Tuesday, the teen made a brief first appearance at the ACT Children’s Court to face the newly filed charges: one count of preparation and planning for a terrorist act, and a second count of transmitting violent extremist material. In a joint official statement, the Australian Federal Police (AFP), ACT Policing, and Australia’s national security agency ASIO confirmed that additional evidence uncovered during the ongoing investigation justified the expanded charges.
Authorities allege the planned attack was targeted at people unknown to the teenager, and was driven by ideological views aligned with violent nationalist and racist extremism. AFP Assistant Commissioner Peter Crozier, who leads the force’s counter-terrorism division, described the radicalization of young Australians by online extremist propaganda as a deeply alarming trend for the country.
“Violent extremist material is circulated deliberately by terrorist networks to sow violence, hate, and deep division within Australian society,” Crozier explained in his statement. He emphasized that the AFP and its national security and law enforcement partner agencies remain unwavering in their work to protect Australian communities. “It is our core mandate to defend and protect the Australian public, and we will relentlessly pursue any actor that seeks to undermine our democracy or fracture our social cohesion,” he added.
Crozier also highlighted the shared responsibility of non-law enforcement stakeholders in countering youth radicalization, saying: “We strongly emphasise the important role that parents, schools, social services and technology companies have in preventing access to violent extremist material by our youth.”
ACT Policing Deputy Chief Police Officer Richard Chin echoed this focus on prevention and early intervention, noting that community safety remains the top priority for the local Joint Counter Terrorism Team (JCTT). “We are focused on limiting the accessibility of violent extremist material and promoting education and awareness for those in frontline protective roles, including parents, educators and health care providers in the ACT, to maximise prevention and early intervention options,” Chin said.
Chin pointed out that parents and teachers are often the first adults to notice warning signs of radicalization in young people. Strengthening awareness and building confidence within trusted, supportive community networks, he explained, is a core strategy to stop young people from being exposed to harmful extremist influences and stop radicalization before it leads to violence.