MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — A 16-year-old boy who was shot dead by police after stabbing a man in the Australian west coast city of Perth had been engaged in a deradicalization program since he detonated a homemade explosive device in a school toilet block two years ago, police said on Tuesday.
The boy had injured a man with a kitchen knife in a hardware store parking lot on Saturday night before police killed him with a single shot. The boy had told associates in a text message: “I am going on the path of jihad tonight for the sake of Allah.”
It was the third high-profile knife crime to shock Australia in recent weeks after two Assyrian Orthodox clerics were injured in a Sydney church and a Sydney shopping mall rampage in which six people were killed and another dozen were wounded.
Western Australia Police Commissioner Col Blanch said the boy killed in Perth had been a voluntary participant of the federally funded Countering Violent Extremism program since 2022 when he caused an explosion at a toilet at the Rossmoyne Senior High School, which he attended. The boy had received treatment for mental health issues as well as extremist inclinations.
Spurs' Victor Wembanyama named NBA Rookie of the Year
China Records 226 Mln Passenger Trips in Spring Festival Holiday
China Names Demonstration Cities for Childcare Services
China Focus: TCM Sees Rising Popularity Among Young People
Moyes leaving West Ham at the end of the season. Lopetegui linked as the replacement
Women Workers in NE China Play Active Role in Various Workplaces
China's Quality Medical Resources Now More Evenly Distributed: NHC
Women Become Major Force in China's Tourism Consumption Market
A US company is fined $650,000 for illegally hiring children to clean meat processing plants
Activities Held to Celebrate Upcoming Latern Festival Across China
Georgia court candidate sues to block ethics rules so he can keep campaigning on abortion
Tibetan New Year Marked with Joy and Hope