A 14-year-old boy who allegedly stabbed a random student at the University of Sydney on Tuesday had previously been accused of planning to carry out a "Christchurch style" mass shooting.
The teenager had been charged by police last year, but the charges were dropped on mental health grounds.
New South Wales Police are now conducting a joint counter-terrorism investigation to determine if Tuesday’s attack was motivated by radical ideologies.
CCTV footage released by authorities shows the teenager wearing camouflage gear as he enters the university grounds. He allegedly walked up to a 22-year-old student and stabbed him from behind in the neck with a kitchen knife before fleeing the scene on a bus.
In the footage, he can be seen cradling his injured hand.
"We were just sitting in our offices and we heard sirens going off and they locked down some of the buildings in the area," university staff member Bevan de Sousa told 9News.
The victim, who was not known to the alleged attacker, was taken to the hospital in serious but stable condition and has since been discharged.
Counter-terrorism command assistant commissioner Mark Walton said the 14-year-old boy from the Inner West was arrested after he caught a bus. He was treated at the same hospital as the victim for minor cuts to his hand.
Walton stated that the boy was undergoing a mental health assessment and that there was no further risk to the community. He said that it did not appear the attack was religiously motivated, but rather a mix of various ideologies, including links to white supremacy.
"A motive or ideology, importantly, has not been determined at this time," Walton said.
Walton urged parents and the community to be aware of the risks of young people being radicalised online.
"Everyone should be concerned," he said.
"There is a risk of online radicalisation. The internet is toxic and it's very easy for young people especially to self-radicalise and move towards violence."
9News reported that the teenager had been accused of planning a "Christchurch'style" attack last September.
He allegedly made violent threats to classmates, referencing terrorist Brenton Tarrant, who killed 51 people in the 2019 Christchurch mosque massacres.
The teen was charged with using a carriage service to menace, harass, or offend and stalking or intimidating with intent to cause fear of physical harm - but the charges were later dismissed on mental health grounds.
SHARE ME