ISIS-inspired teen pleads guilty to planning Sydney terror attacks
The teenage boy told a Sydney court he was considering carrying out a mass terror attack in the CBD after being radicalised on TikTok and other social media platforms.
A teenage boy has pleaded guilty to planning a potential terrorist attack in Sydney inspired by ISIS. According to prosecutors, the 14-year-old boy was exposed to extremist material on social media platforms like TikTok. Federal police arrested him in August 2024 at his Western Sydney residence, where they discovered over 40 extremist videos on his computer.
The court heard that the boy was researching potential attack sites, including the Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Marathon, and had communicated with others about his extremist views. He told a Youth Justice worker that he was 50/50 about carrying out the attack before his arrest. However, the boy has since been de-radicalized and expressed deep regret for his actions, stating that ISIS is "absolutely horrifying."
He is currently undergoing homeschooling and plans to return to a local high school next year after completing religious counseling.
Written by urgent.news from ABC News AU's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
