Chilling alleged past of student stabber

The 14-year-old boy who allegedly stabbed a student at the University of Sydney was accused of planning a mass shooting less than a year ago, it has emerged.

The teenager had allegedly threatened to carry out a terrorist attack but the charges were dropped on mental health grounds, according to the Daily Telegraph.

He was wearing camouflage gear at the time of Tuesday’s alleged stabbing and police are now investigating whether he has links to extremism.

It was reported that the teen allegedly stabbed a 22-year-old man with a kitchen knife in the neck from behind at the the entrance of the University of Sydney on Tuesday morning.

He allegedly fled the scene by bus covered in blood, where a concerned member of the public helped him get to the Royal Prince Alfred hospital, where he is currently being treated for cuts to the hand. He is also undergoing a mental health assessment.

The student victim, an Australian national, did not suffer serious injuries and is expected to recover from the attack.

Police are investigating potential links to extremism, including white supremacy. However, a specific ideology has not been identified.

It has now been revealed that the teen had allegedly planned to carry out an alleged “Christchurch-style” terrorist attack, sources close to the case who are not authorised to speak publicly have alleged.

No charges have been laid in relation to Tuesday’s incident.

He is also alleged to have an interest in Andrew Tate, an online gender commentator recently arrested over allegations of rape, human trafficking and forming a criminal gang.

The teen allegedly had made violent threats to his classmates at an inner-west Sydney school and spoke about terrorist Brenton Tarrant, the man who killed 51 people in the 2019 Christchurch mosque massacre in New Zealand.

It has been reported that the teenager was charged in 2023 with using carriage service to menace, harass or offend, as well as stalking or intimidating with intent to cause fear of physical harm.

However, those charges were dropped on mental health grounds and he was put into the care of medical professionals.

Speaking of the incident, Assistant Commissioner Walton said counter-terror investigators were dealing with a growing cohort of children and teenagers aged 12 to 16 in their caseloads.

“The internet is toxic,” he said.

“It’s very easy for young people to self radicalise. Parents should have an appreciation of what their kids are looking at online.”

The teenager, who lives in Sydney’s inner west, was known to police and “other government agencies”.

Police have no evidence that the alleged attacker was acting with a network and said the suspect was not connected to the army or cadets.

Counter-terrorism police have taken over the investigation but have not declared the incident a terrorist attack because they have not identified a specific ideology as required by legislation.

Police confirmed that the attack is not linked to last week’s failed alleged terror plot in Newcastle.

“We’re very fortunate his injuries are fairly minor, someone being stabbed in the neck can quickly end up in tragedy,” Walton said of the victim.

Multiple buildings at the University of Sydney were locked down earlier on Tuesday. The accused teenager and alleged victim were not known to each other.

Police seized the knife allegedly used in the attack from the scene and stated that there was no ongoing risk to the public.

In an email to staff and students, university vice chancellor Mark Scott confirmed the victim was a student.

“I am shocked and saddened to inform you that a student in our community was attacked on our Camperdown campus this morning in what police believe is an isolated incident,” Mr Scott said.

“NSW Police have arrested the alleged attacker and have assured us that there is no ongoing threat to the community.”

The university was less busy than usual on Tuesday, as most students enjoy a break between semesters.

“As a precautionary measure, there may be an increased security and police presence on campus while investigations continue,” a university spokesperson said.

The Australian Federal Police is working with the NSW Police on the incident.

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