Western Australian police say they have shot and killed a teenager who allegedly attacked a man in a Perth car park on Saturday night.
Detectives on Sunday said there was no ongoing threat to the public and the 16-year-old was believed to have been acting alone in Willetton.
The WA police commissioner, Col Blanch, said the incident “certainly has all the hallmarks” of a terrorism-related incident, but he was not prepared to declare it as such “at this stage”.
“It’s about timing,” Blanch said. “It would be too early for me to act now because I don’t have the concerns of a broader network that might be involved.”
The premier, Roger Cook, said there were indications the 16-year-old “had been radicalised online”.
The man in his 30s who was stabbed was in a serious but stable condition in hospital and “doing well”, authorities said on Sunday.
Blanch said police received a call on Saturday night from a person who told the operator they were “going to commit acts of violence”.
That person hung up without giving their name or location. But the call was followed by another alerting police to someone “running around a car park” with a large kitchen knife.
Three police officers responded within minutes and were immediately confronted by the teenager holding a large knife, Blanch said.
The commissioner said two officers drew their Tasers and a third officer drew their firearm. When asked to put down the knife, the 16-year-old did not respond and, according to body-camera footage, allegedly ran at the officers, Blanch said.
The first two officers fired their Tasers but when the teenager allegedly continued to approach, the third officer fired a single shot which fatally wounded the 16-year-old, police said.
Blanch said the teenager acted alone in what appeared to be a “a very sad and tragic outcome”. He said what triggered the incident was unknown.
The teenager had mental health issues, was known to police and had been involved in a countering violent extremism (CVE) program since 2022 when he was 13, the commissioner said.
The program provides support from psychologists, the education department and, where appropriate, faith leaders.
WA’s CVE was based on work undertaken by Anne Aly – who is now the federal youth minister – and programs used to deradicalise neo-Nazis overseas. It was not limited to those convicted of crimes.
Aly said on Sunday her thoughts were with everyone involved.
“De-radicalisation programs are an important community safety measure,” she said in a statement.
“They are often successful but no program can guarantee success. It’s the sensitive nature of these programs that we often only hear about them when they don’t succeed. I commend and thank the WA police for the positive way they have worked with the Muslim community on this matter.”
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The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, said he had spoken to Cook and received briefings from police and the Australian intelligence agency Asio.
“My thoughts are with those who have been affected by the incident,” he said. “We are a peace-loving nation and there is no place for violent extremism in Australia.”
Cook, who has called a meeting with multi-faith community leaders, described the incident as a “very tragic set of circumstances” and thanked police for their swift action saying the community was “indebted to them”.
“Our police responded within minutes. They encountered a very confronting situation but their rapid and professional response kept our community safe,” the premier said.
“These cases are never straightforward. There’s always a complex set of circumstances, cases and conditions which sit in the background.”
The police commissioner described the alleged attacker as a “Caucasian male”. He thanked members of the Muslim community who “had the courage to respond and express their concerns that this person was exhibiting concerning behaviours”.
Blanch said community members had alerted police after spotting something the 16-year-old posted online.
Perth imam Wadood Janud, of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community in WA, said on Sunday he condemned the alleged attack “in the harshest terms possible”.
He said the 16-year-old was not a member of the Ahmadiyya community and while he believed the incident was isolated it was “close to heart” and “shocking”.
“Islam has nothing to do with any acts of violence,” Janud said. “We’re actually concerned about Islamophobia. Sometimes the backlash can be very harsh.”
Adelaide imam Kamran Tahir, who previously served in Perth, on Sunday condemned the alleged attack “in the strongest terms”.
“We are once again saddened to learn of another knife attack in which innocent civilians were harmed,” Tahir said. “It should be made very clear that there is no justification for such acts in Islam.”
This article was amended on 5 May 2024. An earlier version said the stabbing victim was 18.
- Additional reporting AAP