Police will allege a 16-year-old western Sydney boy attempted to obtain a gun sometime between Saturday and Sunday afternoon for use in a terrorist attack on Anzac Day.
The Auburn boy was arrested near his home about 3.15pm on Sunday and charged on Monday morning with acts in preparation for a terrorist attack.
He did not appear at a closed hearing at Parramatta children’s court later on Monday morning, where he was formally denied bail. The charge carries a maximum life sentence.
Court documents allege the teenager, who was born in Australia, “attempt[ed] to obtain a firearm” over the weekend, triggering his arrest by a joint federal-New South Wales counter-terrorism team.
His lawyer said outside court it was a “tough situation”.
The operation to arrest him was codenamed Vianden, suggesting he is not directly associated with the 14 people facing charges as part of Operation Appleby, including the alleged terrorist group accused of organising the killing of police employee Curtis Cheng.
The arrest of the teenager, who was known to police, was announced shortly before the start of Sydney’s main dawn service at Martin Place. Police commissioner Andrew Scipione said officers had been forced to move quickly.
“Clearly we have taken swift action to ensure community safety on the eve of a sacred day on the Australian calendar,” he said.
“Anzac Day should be observed by all in our community free from fear and I would encourage everyone to enjoy this special day.”
He said the boy’s Auburn home had been searched on Sunday and the allegations had an “online component”.
“There was a search conducted and a number of items looked at. I’m not in a position to tell you if anything was seized,” he said.
There was no wider threat, he said. “At this stage we believe it was one person by himself ... The risk from this particular threat has been thwarted.”
He said the boy’s age was troubling and that families needed to “stay on top of what’s happening, particularly as they see changes in behaviour”.
Commander Chris Sheehan from the Australian federal police said young people who might be susceptible to carrying out criminal acts were being groomed online, like victims of sexual abuse.
“In Australia and around the world, the age of people radicalised is getting younger, with online grooming tactics similar to those used by sexual predators,” he said.
The federal justice minister, Michael Keenan, said this was a “truly chilling and disturbing scenario” and a “sad reflection” of the terrorism threat in Australia.
But he asked Australians to embrace the spirit of Anzac Day and take part in the day’s activities as usual.
“It is of great and ongoing concern that people so young remain susceptible to extremist ideologies and are willing to carry out criminal acts that attract significant penalties,” he said in a statement.
“The terror alert remains at probable – this means credible intelligence, assessed by our security agencies, indicates that individuals or groups have developed both the intent and capability to conduct a terrorist attack in Australia.”
The NSW premier, Mike Baird, said the events were disturbing. He praised police for the arrest. “The important point is not to look at the hypotheticals, but to look at the actions that have been taken – actions were taken by police to prevent actions, to keep us safe,” he told reporters after the dawn service.
- This article was amended on 27 April 2016 to remove an incorrect name.
