Australian police reported on Sunday that they had fatally shot a 16-year-old boy after he stabbed a man in Perth, Western Australia, in what authorities described as a terrorist attack.
According to state authorities, the teenager, armed with a kitchen knife, had shown signs of being radicalised online. Concerned members of the local Muslim community had alerted authorities before the attack, which took place late on Saturday night in the suburb of Willetton.
While the incident bore “hallmarks” of terrorism, it had not yet been officially classified as a terrorist act, police stated.
Western Australia Premier Roger Cook, while speaking in a televised conference, said, “At this stage it appears that he acted solely and alone,”
The victim, who was stabbed in the back, was reported to be in stable condition in the hospital.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, briefed by police and intelligence agencies, assured the public that there was no ongoing threat.
“We are a peace-loving nation and there is no place for violent extremism in Australia,” he reaffirmed on the X Social media platform.
The incident occurred shortly after New South Wales police had charged several boys with terrorism-related offenses following the stabbing of an Assyrian Christian bishop during a live-streamed sermon in Sydney on April 15. This incident was preceded by a stabbing spree in the Bondi suburb of Sydney, where six people were killed.
Although gun and knife crimes are rare in Australia, the country consistently ranks among the safest globally, according to the federal government.
Ozioma Samuel-Ugwuezi
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