{"id":738175,"date":"2026-06-15T13:56:12","date_gmt":"2026-06-15T13:56:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/738175\/"},"modified":"2026-06-15T13:56:12","modified_gmt":"2026-06-15T13:56:12","slug":"prosecutors-allege-brisbane-teen-planned-attack-on-the-liberal-party","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/738175\/","title":{"rendered":"Prosecutors allege Brisbane teen planned attack on the Liberal Party"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\">The trial of a private schoolboy who allegedly planned to carry out an attack on the Liberal Party has begun in Brisbane.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\">The Crown alleges the defendant, who was 15 at the time, planned to use a bomb to target a public event.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\">He has pleaded not guilty to one count of acts done in preparation for or in planning a terrorist act.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\">In her opening address, prosecutor Sally Flynn KC said the Crown would argue the defendant was influenced to carry out an attack by American terrorist Ted Kaczynski, better known as the &#8220;Unabomber&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\">Ms Flynn told the jury police had first been alerted to the defendant&#8217;s alleged plans in July 2024 by one of his friends after it was not carried out.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\">Ms Flynn said a subsequent search of the defendant&#8217;s devices allegedly showed the teenager had been researching how to make explosive devices, had purchased equipment to make them, and had begun testing that equipment.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"A statue of a woman holding the scale of justice.\" class=\"Image_image__5tFYM ContentImage_image__DQ_cq\"  src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/11ecf2698ab05e953b0cb41362923de1.jpeg\" loading=\"lazy\" data-component=\"Image\" data-lazy=\"true\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"Typography_base__sj2RP FigureCaption_text__zDxQ5 Typography_sizeMobile12__w_FPC Typography_lineHeightMobile20___U7Vr Typography_regular__WeIG6 Typography_colourInherit__dfnUx\" data-component=\"Typography\">Police were alerted to the teenager&#8217;s alleged plans by one of his friends in July 2024. (ABC News: Demi Lynch)<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\">The jury was presented with transcripts of WhatsApp messages, diary entries and receipts for products allegedly bought by the defendant.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\">The prosecution also said it intended to include videos that it alleges show the accused carrying out testing of potential explosives.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\">Ms Flynn said a search of the defendant&#8217;s home by police also allegedly found chemicals wrapped in aluminium foil, which the Crown will argue could be used to produce harmful gases.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\">She read to the court WhatsApp messages between the defendant and a friend in which they appeared to be discussing bomb-making techniques, and how to access the products necessary to make them, in the months leading up to his arrest.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\">Ms Flynn said it was the prosecution&#8217;s contention the defendant &#8220;planned an attack or attacks on premises and or persons associated with or perceived to be associated with the Liberal Party.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\">On April 7, 2024, the defendant allegedly told the friend over WhatsApp: &#8220;I have nitrate.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\">The following day, he wrote: &#8220;I have plans for economically affordable explosives now.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\">On April 9, he allegedly sent a series of messages to the same friend saying, &#8220;I have an idea. Labour Day march in Brisbane. We strike there.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8216;Unabomber&#8217; inspiration<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\">American domestic terrorist Ted Kaczynski held an anti-technology and anti-capitalist worldview and used explosive devices sent in the mail to murder three people and injure dozens of others.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\">Ms Flynn told the jury Kaczynski&#8217;s core ideology was aimed at &#8220;the complete and permanent destruction of modern industrial society in every part of the world&#8221; and violence was an acceptable means of achieving it.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\">She said messages and diary entries by the defendant showed he held sympathetic views towards Kaczynski&#8217;s manifesto, and that he had expressed to friends that the &#8220;Unabomber was right&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\">Ms Flynn will continue her opening address tomorrow before counsel for the accused, Laura Reece KC, will outline the defence&#8217;s case.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\">The trial is expected to last 10 days.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The trial of a private schoolboy who allegedly planned to carry out an attack on the Liberal Party&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":738176,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[651,79747,222375,43,44,356455,94,701,22810,356456,41,39,42,40,24690],"class_list":["post-738175","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-headlines","tag-brisbane","tag-chemical","tag-explosives","tag-headlines","tag-news","tag-planned-attack","tag-qld","tag-queensland","tag-teen","tag-terror-plot","tag-top-news","tag-top-stories","tag-topnews","tag-topstories","tag-youth-justice"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/738175","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=738175"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/738175\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/738176"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=738175"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=738175"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=738175"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}