{"id":510288,"date":"2026-02-28T19:33:17","date_gmt":"2026-02-28T19:33:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/510288\/"},"modified":"2026-02-28T19:33:17","modified_gmt":"2026-02-28T19:33:17","slug":"perth-mosque-in-northbridge-vandalised-a-day-after-alleged-mass-casualty-terror-attack-foiled","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/510288\/","title":{"rendered":"Perth Mosque in Northbridge vandalised a day after alleged \u2018mass casualty\u2019 terror attack foiled"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Rebecca<\/p>\n

February 28, 2026 \u2014 2:24pm<\/p>\n

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WA Police were on Saturday canvassing for CCTV footage that may help lead them to the person responsible for vandalising a Perth mosque, a day after a planned \u201cmass casualty\u201d terror attack targeting public buildings and Muslim places of worship was foiled.<\/p>\n

The incident in Northbridge occurred hours after police revealed that through intelligence, specifically in relation to the use of encrypted messaging app Telegram, they were able to track down and arrest 20-year-old Jayson Joseph Michaels from the Wheatbelt town of Bindoon on Friday and charge him with acting in preparation for a terrorist act.<\/p>\n

\"WAWA Premier Roger Cook addresses the media after a meeting with leaders at Perth Mosque on Saturday.Hannah Murphy<\/p>\n

They allege that Michaels, motivated by a white supremacist ideology, had written a manifesto-style document outlining plans for an ideologically motivated attack of violent extremism.<\/p>\n

The allegations include that he was planning to target the Muslim community through attacks on mosques \u2013 as well as attacks on the WA Police and parliament.<\/p>\n

On Saturday, WA Police Commissioner Col Blanch said he believed Michaels was part of a terrorist cell that was identified through Telegram and involved international members, as well as other Australians that were still being identified.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s the work that\u2019s being undertaken now, as part of the joint counterterrorism team investigation \u2013 to contain all of those messages and go through them one by one,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\"PerthPerth Mosque was vandalised overnight.Hannah Murphy<\/p>\n

\u201cSo if you know that you have been on that message group, if you are someone that has participated in those conversations, you can expect your door to be \u2026 well, it won\u2019t be quite knocked, put it that way.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said that so far the members of the group did not seem to have any links to any far-right groups.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll we can see is a group of like-minded, meaning white supremacist groups, talking about their hate for other people in our community,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur focus at the moment is to understand who is on that message group, but early indications are there\u2019s no hierarchy, there\u2019s no structure, there\u2019s no organisation.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"PerthPerth Mosque was vandalised in the early hours of Saturday morning,Hannah Murphy<\/p>\n

He said Michaels had no criminal record and was not previously known to police.<\/p>\n

Blanch\u2019s comments came as he stood with WA Premier Roger Cook, acting Attorney General Paul Papalia, minister John Carey and senior Islamic leaders who met at Perth Mosque in Northbridge and spoke for almost an hour \u201cto reassure them that we condemn these potential activities\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe will continue to do everything that we can to make sure that they feel that they can fully express their religion, their faith, their culture, in a community which is tolerant and welcoming and safe,\u201d Cook said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe do enjoy an incredible amount of social cohesion, peace and safety, and we are going to defend that at all costs.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cook said he alleged that Friday\u2019s acts did meet the threshold of a terrorist attack.<\/p>\n

\u201cTerrorism is an act of hatred, of division, of trying to undermine our sense of security, making us afraid to pray, to be who we are, and that\u2019s why my government and I will do everything that we can to reassure that we stamp it out in Western Australia, that we continue to celebrate who we are,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Imam Mohammed Shakeeb said he had an \u201chonest conversation\u201d with the premier about language and the divisive rhetoric in parliament, calling out Pauline Hanson\u2019s Sky News interview where she said: \u201cHow can you tell me there are good Muslims?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI voiced my concerns to the premier that, had any one of us said something similar, that I don\u2019t think there are any good Christians, for example, no one of any sound mind would say that,\u201d Shakeeb said.<\/p>\n

\u201cLikewise, [if someone said] I don\u2019t think there are any good First Nations people; I don\u2019t think there are any good Jewish people. Imagine the legal repercussions, imagine the outrage. But yet, you know, Islamophobia has become so normalised, it\u2019s become mainstream.\u201d<\/p>\n

The leaders walked through the doors of Perth Mosque, which was vandalised with graffiti in a white substance that police said was \u201cnon-suspicious\u201d.<\/p>\n

Shakeeb said officers had attended the mosque after a disturbance was reported there about 1am on Saturday morning. The matter has been referred to the State Security Investigation Group.<\/p>\n

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