A string of assaults on gay men in Sydney are set to be re-examined by police after it was discovered they were allegedly committed by several teenagers who are now accused of being part of a youth terror cell.
The NSW Joint Counter Terrorism Team conducted raids across south-western Sydney on Wednesday, charging five teenagers who they allege were associates of a 16-year-old charged with stabbing Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel earlier this month.
The bishop was stabbed in an alleged terrorist attack at a Wakeley church on April 15, sparking a riot as word of the incident spread online. His service was being livestreamed at the time.
Investigators say two of the charged teens had videos on their phones depicting beheadings conducted by the Islamic State, with one of them also in possession of instructions for making explosive devices.
It has since been revealed by Sydney’s Daily Telegraph newspaper that several of the teens were already before the courts on assault matters and that gay men were said to be their targets.
Those cases are now being reviewed to determine if they were “religiously motivated”, the Telegraph reported, after the teens were discovered to have links to the 16-year-old charged over the church attack.
Police sources reportedly told Daily Telegraph they are “looking at the cause” of those alleged assaults and it could be months before an outcome.
A NSW Police spokesperson told GSN it was unable to confirm the Daily Telegraph’s report.
Commonwealth prosecutor Matthew Nelson told a court the 16-year-old boy’s phone allegedly contained disturbing material that advocated violence towards homosexual men, and violence associated with the terror group Islamic State.
“There are videos produced by Islamic State that depict various acts of violence including beheadings, running people over with military equipment, with music and indicia of the Islamic State,” he said.
The teens were arrested after police seized electronic devices from the alleged church stabber’s home.
More than 400 officers from the Joint Counter-terrorism Team raided 13 locations total across Greenacre, Strathfield, Bankstown, Prestons and Punchbowl.
One of the boys charged was as young as 14, while the eldest was 17.
Police say they were forced to move in on the boys because it was determined the risk to the public was too great to continue just monitoring them.
For legal reasons, none of the teenagers can be named as the matter is before the Children’s Court.
Eliot Hastie is a senior news producer at Channel Ten, reporting on a range of general stories, specialising in foreign affairs and LGBTQ+ stories. He’s also a reporter for Gay Sydney News, where he covers LGBTQIA+ culture, politics and nightlife. He previously helped to build and launch ausbiz, Australia's only live streaming finance news channel, where he was also an executive producer and host. He has previously worked as a finance and business journalist for publications including Fintech Business, Real Estate Business and other Momentum Media titles. Eliot holds a journalism degree from the University of Westminster and brings experience in both broadcast and digital reporting. Contact Eliot: eliot.hastie@gaysydneynews.com.au
