Second Top End teenager arrested in Terrorism-related investigation

A spokesperson for the Joint Counter Terrorism Team (JCTT) indicated in a released statement that documents recovered from a Top End residence on Wednesday allegedly revealed a range of motivations, including praise for attacks targeting schools.

The teenager is charged with possessing or creating documents that could aid in terrorist acts and is scheduled to appear in the NT Youth Justice Court today.

This arrest follows another Top End teenager’s court appearance last week, who faces charges of possessing documents that could facilitate a terrorist act and having designs for 3D-printed firearms.

Australian Federal Police (AFP) Commissioner Krissy Barrett emphasized that the JCTT investigation, involving NT Police and the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO), remains active. She described youth radicalization as a potentially significant challenge for Australia.

“When I became commissioner, I promised I would have candid conversations with Australians to inform them about the threats they face and this one is confronting,” she stated.

Barrett highlighted the increasing prevalence of disengaged, confused, and sometimes violent young individuals, especially given the weakening of traditional support systems like family, sports, education, religious guidance, and teaching.

“Often when the AFP charges young people for serious crimes they lack these supports,” Barrett explained. She also noted that some young people are susceptible to manipulation, frequently through social media, as they seek answers to complex issues online instead of consulting trusted adults, leading them to extremist content.

“If it used to take a village to raise a child, because of advances in technology, it now takes a country to keep them safe,” Barrett said, stressing the need for a collaborative, nationwide approach to address the issue.

She concluded that law enforcement alone cannot resolve the problem.