Sydney Teens Arrested for Terrorism Linked to Assaults on Gay Men

Police are reopening investigations into assaults on gay men, allegedly carried out by teenagers now implicated in a youth terror cell. The move comes as law enforcement seeks to explore potential “religious motivations” behind these attacks.

Five juveniles were taken into custody on Wednesday by the NSW Joint Counter Terrorism as part of an investigation into what they described as a “network” of individuals sharing a “similar violent extremist ideology” following the stabbing of a bishop last week.

During a service at the Christ The Good Shepherd Church in Wakeley last Monday, Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel was stabbed.

A 16-year-old boy has been charged with a terrorism offence in connection to the alleged incident.

The boys were apprehended alongside a group of five teenagers who, according to police, were associates of the 16-year-old boy held down by parishioners and subsequently arrested over the stabbing of Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel on April 15.

The incident took place during a live-streamed church service, leading to the widespread circulation of shocking video footage on social media.

Police claim to have discovered extremist material on some of the boys’ phones. Two of them were charged with “conspiring to engage in any act in preparation for, or planning, a terrorist act”.

Assault Charges Against Gay Men Reviewed for Possible Religious Motivations

According to The Daily Telegraph, some of the individuals were already facing assault charges against gay men in court. The identities of these victims have not been disclosed, nor has the nature of their interactions with the accused been revealed.

Law enforcement is now reviewing these assault cases to determine if they were motivated by religious factors.

A 17-year-old boy who was charged with possessing or controlling violent extremist material was refused bail.

Commonwealth prosecutor Matthew Nelson told the court the boy’s phone allegedly contained material advocating violence towards homosexual men and graphic violence of Islamic State beheadings and instructions for making explosive devices.

A 14-year-old, seeking bail on terrorism-related charges has previously faced court for gun possession. The youngest among five detained juveniles, unidentified for legal purposes, appeared in Parramatta Children’s Court facing charges of possessing extremist material, discovered on his phone.

This material reportedly included videos of Islamic State beheadings.

Bail Decision Looms for Teen Facing Terrorism Charges 

The 14-year-old, currently on conditional release for separate firearm charges, awaits a bail decision while facing additional assault and robbery charges.

The police filed charges against the 14-year-old for possessing or controlling extremist material, an offense punishable by a maximum jail term of five years.

Magistrate Paul Mulroney described the footage as illustrating “the worst behaviour of humanity.”

“He has material that is clearly violent, extremist material, material that is distressing, that is reprehensible,” he said.

The magistrate granted the 14-year-old bail with strict conditions, considering his age, lack of evidence of video distribution, and family support. However, his release is postponed due to an appeal by the Acting Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions.

The child must reapply for bail in the NSW Supreme Court. If released on bail, the conditions prohibit him from using a smartphone, computers, gaming consoles, and will be required to attend sessions with a psychologist.

Their cases are scheduled to be addressed next on May 10.