A 16-year-old boy with a knife was shot and killed by police in Perth, Australia, after he stabbed a man in a parking lot. This information was reported by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation through the Associated Press.
Australian police killed a teenage boy after he stabbed and injured a man in what officials believe could be a terrorist attack. The incident took place in a Perth suburb, according to Western Australia Premier Roger Cook. Police Commissioner Col Blanch stated that the attack showed signs of terrorism and met the criteria for this type of crime.
Blanch explained that on Saturday night, local police got a call from a man saying he planned to commit violence. Moments later, another person reported seeing a man with a knife running around. Three officers quickly arrived at the scene.
They found the teenager alone, holding a big kitchen knife, Blanch said. The officers told him to drop the knife, but he ignored them and charged at them instead. They tried to stop him with tasers, but when that didn’t work, one of the officers fired a single shot that fatally injured the teenager.
After the shooting, police found out that the teenager had stabbed and injured a middle-aged man before the police confrontation.
The man is currently in the hospital in serious but stable condition with a back wound, according to Blanch.
Blanch mentioned that the teenager was known to the police before this incident because “he was part of a program about online radicalization for the last couple of years.”
“We are dealing with complex issues with this 16-year-old male, including mental health and online radicalization,” Blanch added.
The program focused on addressing violent extremism for individuals showing concerning behavior, Blanch explained.
Blanch noted that police received calls from members of Western Australia’s Muslim community both before and after the incident, expressing concerns about the individual.
“I want to thank members of the Muslim community for their calls because that helped us quickly identify who this person was and respond promptly,” Blanch acknowledged.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese issued a statement on Sunday about the incident, stating, “We are a peaceful nation and there is no room for violent extremism in Australia.”
This incident follows last month’s stabbing of a priest and bishop at a church in Sydney. Police have arrested a 16-year-old in connection with that attack, which they described as a terrorist act.