Police gun down ‘radicalized’ 16-year-old attacker in Australia

In Western Australia, police fatally shot a 16-year-old boy in Perth after he stabbed a man and then charged at the responding officers with a knife, as reported by the state police and Premier Roger Cook.

The incident occurred late on Saturday when police received an emergency call about a young male threatening violence without disclosing his identity or location. Soon after, another call reported a male with a knife in a Perth suburb’s car park.

The teenager, described as “radicalized” online by Premier Cook, did not respond to police commands to drop the weapon, a 30-centimeter kitchen knife likely taken from his home. Despite police firing two Tasers, which failed to stop him, he continued to advance towards an officer who then shot him. The teen later died in the hospital.

Police Commissioner Col Blanch detailed that the stabbed man was in serious but stable condition, with injuries that could include a punctured lung. He added that the youth had sent concerning messages to some community members who then alerted the police.

Blanch noted the teenager had previously been involved in a program aimed at addressing violent extremist behaviors linked to ideological beliefs, though not criminal actions.

The situation is being closely examined, with Blanch suggesting it bore the signs of a terrorist act, though there was no immediate concern of a broader network involved. This incident adds to recent violent events in Australia, including a deadly knife attack in a Sydney mall and the stabbing of a bishop during a church service.