Police have swarmed the Western Australian high school of a 16-year-old boy who was shot dead by police after threats to shoot his students were posted online.
The teenager stabbed a man in the car park of Willetton Bunnings in South Perth about 10.15pm on Saturday, and police shot the boy after they failed to arrest him with Tasers.
The man remains at Royal Perth Hospital in a stable condition.
A WA Police spokesperson said they were investigating threats to Rossmoyne Senior High School, which appeared to be vexatious and not made by a student.
The disturbing messages were sent through the school’s internal forum for students and teachers on Monday night.
The school of a 16-year-old boy (pictured several years ago) who was shot and killed by police descended into chaos Tuesday morning.
A series of disturbing messages (pictured) were posted on the school’s internal forum on Monday night.
They include: “All I say is Allahu Ahkbar, I will kill the n……tomorrow” and “the reason I threw up gang signs in my photos is because I always planned to shoot myself in school and f…everyone the n…… c… are all going to be punished for what they told me at school, we will prevail.’
The school’s principal, Alan Brown, called the messages a “hoax” and blamed a “hacking incident.”
“As many of you know, there are some inappropriate messages circulating among students and in the community,” he said in an email Tuesday, obtained by The West.
‘It has been confirmed that there has been a hacking incident and the messages do not come from any students.
“Police have been notified and are investigating the matter and have confirmed that there is no additional threat to the school or our students.”
Several parents chose to keep their children home from school Tuesday after the messages.
Six police cars and several officers were seen outside the school on Tuesday morning.
“Police have no concerns for the safety of students, teachers and the wider community, and WA Police continue to work with the Department of Education to identify the source of the messages,” the spokesperson said.
One parent, leaving a meeting with the school principal, told reporters that authorities would not tell parents whether other youths who are part of a known extremist group attended the school or where they were located.
“The Department of Education will not give that information,” he said.
The parents said they had been told the school had done everything possible to ensure the safety of the students and that it was “no cause for concern” that the student had remained at school after a homemade bomb was detonated, destroying a block. of bathrooms.
The messages (pictured) threatened to ‘shoot up’ the school but the principal has declared them a hoax
Several police officers attended the school (pictured) on Tuesday morning and assured parents and students that there was no ongoing threat.
“We had a known extremist bring a bomb to the school,” he said.
“They knew he was an extremist before the bomb, he had been an extremist in a program for about four years, the bomb happened last year.”
He said students at the high school and other nearby schools felt scared and that if authorities waited until something happened to act, it would be too late.
On Monday, Premier Roger Cook confirmed claims that parents of students who attended Rossmoyne Senior High School, the same school as the boy, had raised concerns about the teenager.
Cook revealed the teenager had become radicalized online despite only having access to a “very basic phone” with no internet access.
Before the attack, the teenager sent a final message to people saying he was following “the path of jihad”, and members of Perth’s concerned Islamic community alerted police to the messages.
“Brothers, please forgive me for any time I have wronged you. Tonight I will follow the path of jihad in the cause of Allah,” wrote the boy, who had supposedly converted to Islam.
“I am a soldier of the Al Qaeda mujahideen and I take responsibility for the actions that… will take place tonight.”
He also warned his contacts to “delete” incriminating evidence from devices such as laptops and phones.
“If you have illegal or jihadist things online or in real life, make sure you hide them well and clean your technology, such as laptops and phones, including search history… as the police will probably investigate my contacts,” wrote the child. .
The teenager had reportedly attempted to indoctrinate other students at his high school and had spent more than two years in a “deradicalization” program.
The 16-year-old was shot dead by police in Perth on Saturday after stabbing a man in the back (pictured, emergency services at the scene)
WA Liberal Leader Libby Mettam said while Premier Roger Cook would like to hold up this incident as an example of how his government was keeping the community safe, he struggled to agree with such a suggestion.
“We have an incident where a 16-year-old who had been on a deradicalization program was involved in creating a homemade bomb that destroyed a toilet block,” he said.
‘He had plans to disrupt an assembly in the most devastating way and had been able to continue learning in a regular public school.
‘There were a number of red flags raised by parents in this community and the Minister of Education continued to gloss over those very real concerns.
‘This is a government that fails to keep a community safe.
“It is appalling to hear that this government has repeatedly ignored these very real concerns of the parents of this school community.”
Department for Education chief executive Lisa Rodgers said it was a distressing incident for everyone and they were working closely with the school to ensure students received all the support they needed.
“I cannot comment on the details of this police investigation, but I can assure parents that very comprehensive protocols are in place across many government agencies to identify students who may present a risk to others in relation to violent extremism,” he said.
‘This includes referrals to the Department of Child Protection. Once a student is referred, Washington Police specialist teams handle the young person’s case.’
Ms Rodgers said this process for dealing with students vulnerable to extremism had been in place between WA Police and the Department of Education since 2016, and in this particular case all appropriate protocols were followed.
“Since 2022, this student has been on an individual management plan that outlined rules regarding his behavior, monitored his attendance and online participation, included routine check-ins with authorities, and provided him with extensive psychological support,” it said.
‘It was also part of the Program to Combat Violent Extremism.
“In all cases where a youth is identified at risk of radicalization, state government agencies work together to ensure the safety and well-being of the entire student population, including those who may be vulnerable to extremism.”
Cook also addressed allegations that an extremist group of teenagers were using Rossmoyne’s prayer room as a meeting space.
A man in his 30s, unknown to the teenager, was taken to hospital in serious condition with back injuries.
“The prayer room aims to create an inclusive school environment so that all students feel like they belong and can go to that school and receive a great education in an inclusive community,” he said.
‘Regarding the use of prayer rooms in that type of environment… this is an issue that our education experts need to address.
“They are responsible for creating the school community and educating our children and they do a great job.”
