Bail for Victorian teen allegedly caught with cache of bomb-making manuals
Prosecutors will appeal after the teenager accused of telling a young prisoner in custody that he knew how to make a bomb that would “blow up the whole of Melbourne” was released on bail.
The now 18-year-old was arrested in March after counterterrorism authorities tipped him off to order a custom-made Islamic State flag; This led to the discovery of a cache of violent terrorist material, including various bomb-making manuals and data showing that he had searched nearby synagogues and Melbourne’s busiest intersection.
The unidentified teenager has been held in juvenile detention ever since.
A judge told the juvenile court on Thursday that it was a “tough and lengthy decision” but eventually granted the teenager bail after reading an expert report.
Described as “strict” by the judge, the teenager’s bail conditions include 24-hour electronic monitoring, a nightly curfew, limited access to electronic devices and frequent reports to the police station.
The prosecution said they would appeal the decision after arguing that the teenager was an unacceptable risk to society and that no circumstances could mitigate the risk he posed.
The Commonwealth Attorney’s Office has been approached for comment.
Australian Federal Police and Victoria Police officers raided a home the Grade 12 student shared with his parents and siblings in Melbourne’s north on March 24.
The court heard arresting officers found a cache of extremist material stored on a USB, phone and computer belonging to the teenager.
He was initially charged with one count of collecting or preparing documents facilitating a terrorist act and one count of importing a prohibited object.
The teenager’s files allegedly included an al-Qaeda video showing a man in a balaclava instructing viewers on how to make TNT, as well as numerous bomb-making manuals, including a step-by-step guide for train derailment devices.
The teenager is accused of using Apple Maps to search for nearby synagogues and repeatedly searching for Melbourne’s busiest intersection.
He is alleged to have frequently visited pro-ISIS and Al Qaeda sites, kept pro-ISIS material on his phone, and was accused of actively seeking out anti-Semitic material.
The judge said the report prepared by a forensic psychiatrist and extremism expert was the deciding factor in the decision to release the defendant on bail.
“His work clearly shows that: [the teenager’s] “He does not define these in the abstract, but their relationship to any risk to society,” the judge said.
The psychiatrist stated that the teenager’s alleged behavior supported the legitimate concern that he was working against single-actor terrorist violence. However, the psychiatrist said there was no evidence of violence in the near future.
“From what I have seen from the materials and the searches, I think he is at the stage of investigating what he intends to do at most, rather than collecting material or any of those steps,” the expert told the court.
He said the teenager’s undiagnosed autism and social isolation, among other identity issues, made him more susceptible to accessing terrorist materials.
The court found that effective treatment by a psychiatrist would include consulting with a psychologist to understand why the defendant accessed this material.
As part of his bail conditions the teenager was ordered to stay away from all synagogues and busy intersections in Melbourne’s CBD.
At an earlier hearing, the court heard that days after his arrest the teenager told another prisoner he could teach him how to make explosives that would “blow up the whole of Melbourne”.
In the letter he wrote to the court from custody, the young man said that he had made some “serious mistakes”.
He stated that the time young people spent in custody was difficult and that it forced him to reflect on his behavior. He added that he was saddened by the trouble his parents experienced and that he missed his family.
Various expert witnesses described the young person’s family as extremely supportive and already engaged in youth justice. Various community organizations and the teen’s school also offered support.
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Carla Jaeger is a journalist for The Age. Got a clue? Email carla.jaeger@theage.com.au or message carlajaeger.62 on Signal.Connect with: X or email.
