source : the age
A 14-year-old Queenslander allegedly possessed large amounts of violent extremist material and had planned attacks on three public places, in what counter-terrorism police describe as an extraordinarily concerning case.
Police last month raided a property in Maryborough, north of Brisbane, where they seized devices containing large amounts of videos and photos, including a picture of a knife.
Officers also found clothing that police alleged would be used in the attacks.
Speaking to reporters after the teenager’s case was heard in the Brisbane Childrens Court on Tuesday, Detective Inspector Chris Knight would not confirm if the locations where attacks were allegedly planned included a school.
He would not say whether children were alleged targets.
But when asked if the alleged attacks were imminent, Knight said potentially within days.
“We will allege that there were acts of violence that were going to be carried out on random individuals within the community,” he said.
“What we recovered from his digital devices – we will allege there was planning that occurred over a period of months, and there were identified targets, public targets, where he intended to carry out acts of violence.”
When asked if the alleged plans were large-scale or would have the potential for mass casualties, Knight said it was difficult to say.
He said the plans did not target a religious or ethnicity group, and no particular prescribed terrorist organisation or ideology was in the material the teenager allegedly possessed.
He said while police had not seized a knife, a photo of the knife was recovered on a mobile phone, and it was linked directly to other information about the alleged plans.
“We certainly will be alleging that he was in possession of a knife in a public place,” he said.
The child, who cannot be named under Queensland law, was reported to police by a member of the public. Knight would not confirm if the person was a family member.
Knight said it remained to be seen whether the teenager was driven by any ideology, but that it was extraordinarily concerning a child of that age was allegedly being radicalised.
“What we’re seeing is … young people using social media platforms and various online platforms to access information that they’ve never had access to in the past,” he said.
Knight would not elaborate on the nature of the material seized, but said it was extremely concerning.
“[We’re concerned that] this material is available to individuals that want to seek it out, because it desensitises people and it has horrendous effects on potentially influencing individuals,” he said.
“I don’t want to speak to the specific files, but I’ll say that there are a number of files that we will allege constitute that offence under the Commonwealth Crimes Act.”
He said the teenager was not communicating with others, and there was no evidence that the case was linked to another teenager charged in Maryborough with similar offences earlier in 2026.
“What we see is a trending behaviour whereby younger and younger people are being influenced by horribly detrimental vision that they have access to on the internet,” he said.
Knight said it was important for the community to report matters, no matter how minor they appeared to be.
The 14-year-old boy was charged with three offences, including possessing violent extremist material, possession of a knife in a public place or a school, and preparing an offence likely to cause death or grievous bodily harm.
The matter was heard in the Brisbane Children’s Court on Tuesday, where the boy did not appear.
His solicitor told the court there would be no application for bail, and the boy had been in contact with lawyers in Maryborough.
The matter was adjourned by magistrate Megan Power to Maryborough Children’s Court next week.
Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.
