An 18-year-old has been charged with terror-related offences over his alleged online activity. Photo / Supplied
An 18-year-old has been charged with terror-related offences over his alleged online activity. Photo / Supplied
A NSW teenager espousing neo-Nazi and other right-wing extremist views - and influenced by the Christchurch mosque gunman - has been arrested and charged after encouraging a mass casualty terrorist attack.
The 18-year-old was charged with terror-related offences, including urging violence against members of the community and advocating for terrorism.
Authorities say the teen had been closely monitored by federal and NSW police since August, but a recent escalation in his messages and tone sparked investigators to act.
"The male who we've arrested has an extremist right-wing ideology and is focused on neo-Nazi, white supremacist and anti-Semitic material," AFP Assistant Commissioner Scott Lee told reporters.
Communicating on various social media platforms, the teen showed support towards a mass casualty event, and indicated his potential involvement.
He also planned on providing others with bomb-making materials to encourage others to commit terrorist acts and violence, Lee said.
Just hours before his arrest on Wednesday, the man posted support for a previous mass shooting overseas.
While police say the post wasn't about the Christchurch Mosque terror attack, the man had expressed support for the ideology of the Mosque gunman following the March 2019 attack.
The teenager was arrested on Wednesday. Photo / Supplied
NSW Police Assistant Commissioner Mark Walton said the man was against "almost anyone who didn't look like him".
"More specifically, it's non-whites, it's immigrants, it's people of the Jewish and the Islamic faiths," he told reporters.
"Really that term: 'I hate everyone that doesn't fit my identity'."
Walton said right-wing extremists were "hero-worshipping people that we would suggest in history should be forgotten".
"They're not hero-worshipping our best sportspeople or achievers in society," he said.
"That's a very negative, detrimental element and a common theme that occurs in the extremist environment."
An 18-year-old has been charged with terror-related offences over his alleged online activity. Photo / Supplied
Royal Commission of Inquiry findings into Christchurch terror attack:
Christchurch Muslim leaders say New Zealand government agencies have failed to protect their communities.
The report identifies failings by government agencies, including the New Zealand intelligence service focusing on "Islamic extremists", but failing to investigate the threat posed by the "far right".
"Before the terror attack, I had reported suspicious people around the Deans Ave mosque but was disappointed by the lack of action taken by police," said Masjid An-nur Imam Gamal Fouda.
"The report shows that institutional prejudice and unconscious bias exists in government agencies and that needs to change."
SIS director general Rebecca Kitteridge said while no failures were found within government agencies, "many" lessons could be learned and "significant areas" needed change.
She also apologised to the Muslim community after hearing how they felt "targeted by the security agencies" or felt "under suspicion" when they were not.
Abdigani Ali, spokesman for the Al Noor and Linwood mosques, said: "We've known for a long time the Muslim community has been unfairly targeted with hate speech and hate crimes – this report shows that we are right."
He said they found it "alarming" that the risk posed by right-wing extremism was "so poorly understood and resourced" by New Zealand intelligence services and that prior to May 2018 resources were allocated almost exclusively to the threat of Islamist extremist terrorism.
"This report must lead to change - we have 800 pages of words, we now need them translated to powerful action," he said.
"It's time for change and the time is ripe to make those changes. We have one of the most diverse Parliaments in the world and all sorts of groups are waking up to outdated ideology that has disadvantaged different parts of New Zealand's community for a very long time."
