A judge denied bail on Thursday to a 15-year-old boy alleged to be in a network planning terrorist acts and who claimed to be a friend of another teen accused of stabbing a Sydne🎀y bishop last month.
The attack on the bishop triggered an investigation that led to the arrests of six teens, ages 14 to 17, who were charged last week with a range of offenses including conspiring to engage♏ in or planning a terrorist act. All remain in custody.
The 15-year-oᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚld boy's lawyer Ahmed Dib had applied for bail on Wednesday in the Parramatta Children's Court, arguing there were exceptiona🐲l circumstances that required his client's release.
But Magistrate James Viney ruled such circumstances did not exist. “There is an unacceptable risk to the protection of the community,” Viney s🌸aid.
Viney sa🌳id he found the boy's alleged threats to stab Jewish or Assyrian people, a predominantly🐽 Christian ethnic group native to the Middle East, and an alleged assault to be “gravely concerning”.
“The messages clearly set up the young person wan♚ting to do something catastr༒ophic,” Viney said.
The boy was already in custody on𒊎 an assault charge when the terrorism-related charge was added on Friday.
Earlier last week, he was accused of being part of groꦯup that threw rocks at a liquor store employee. The boy allegedly threw a wooden plank that narrowly missed his intended target. The boy was allegedly carrying a knife at the time.
Prosecutor Rebekah Rodger said the boy had told associates in an encrypted chat g♏roup that the 16-year-old boy accused of stabbing an Assyrian Orthodox bishop and pries✱t on April 15 was “my mate”.
Later, the boy's lawyer, Dib, told r🔥eporters he would apply for bail to the New South Wales state Supreme Court.
The documents Dib ha🀅d submitted as evidence of his client's special circumstances showed the boy had a history🧜 of behavioral issues, lacked confidence and had low self-esteem.
The boy propped his head up wiꩵth his hand for much of the hearing as he watched on from custody via videolink, as his 𝐆parents sat in court.
Viney said he had “no doubt” the parents were both loving and supportive of thei⛦r son, and had confiscated his phone after becoming concerned by his behaviour.
“They are genuinely shocked as to⭕ the 𒐪charges he's facing,” Viney said.
At the end of the he♉aring, the m🦩other left the courtroom in tears.
Police alleged the six teens arrested last week all “adhered to a religiously motivated, violent extremist ideology” and were part of a network that 🍃included the boy who is accused of the stabbing in the Christ the Good Shepherd Church as a service was being streamed online. Neither the bishop nor priest suffered life-threatening injuries.
The boy arrested in the stabbin♉gs was charged with committing a terrorist act four days after the attack th🐓at triggered a riot outside the church.
