A Sydney teenager who reportedly admitted to planning a terrorist attack in Sydney in 2024 was sentenced to a three-year Community Corrections Order by the NSW Supreme Court. The 16-year-old has claimed that he was radicalized online and used artificial intelligence for his plans, according to reports.
The youth had just turned 14 when the offenses took place in 2024, and he reportedly told the court that he was first exposed to extremist content on TikTok. The teenager, identified under the pseudonym RK due to his age, pleaded guilty and avoided prison time as the court handed down the three-year Community Corrections Order for acts in preparation for, or planning a terrorist act.
An official investigation was launched in mid-2024 by the NSW Joint Counter Terrorism Team, which comprises the Australian Federal Police, NSW Police Force, the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, and the NSW Crime Commission. The probe revealed that between June 30 and August 7, 2024, the youth carried out preparatory acts by researching target locations and attack methodologies while transmitting violent extremist material across online forums and social media platforms.
Authorities executed a search warrant at a Sydney residence on August 7, 2024, seizing the boy's mobile phone and uncovering 41 files containing violent extremist material before placing him under arrest.
During sentencing remarks, Justice Stephen Campbell explained that the teenager initially watched historical material touching on political themes, crusaders, and past empires before progressing to content concerning the September 11, 2001 attacks, the war on terror, and religious-themed material. This progression eventually led him to increasingly violent content and direct online discussions with others.
The boy reportedly told the court he wanted to impress individuals online and stated he became brainwashed by propaganda after watching bomb-making videos on YouTube. He also admitted to focusing on the Sydney Opera House as a potential attack site, though Justice Campbell noted the teen had no concrete plans and had acquired no materials to manufacture a bomb.
The teenager used Telegram to find instructions for constructing a pressure cooker bomb and attempted to email surviving Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. He also used the AI chatbot ChatGPT to ask about Tsarnaev, inquire whether inmates had access to news, and seek details regarding security arrangements at the Sydney Opera House, the Sydney marathon finish line, and correctional facilities holding terrorists in New South Wales.