Five Australian teenagers have been charged with terrorism and extremism-related offenses in connection with the stabbing of a bishop at a Sydney-area church last week. The teenagers were among seven arrested by Australian authorities after investigators raided 13 locations across Sydney and its suburbs. According to the Sydney Morning Herald, two boys, aged 17 and 14, were charged with possessing “violent extremist material online,” while two 16-year-olds and a 17-year-old were charged with planning a terrorist attack. The latter was also charged with carrying a knife in a public place. Police officials told reporters that the teenagers were under surveillance and quickly arrested because they “posed an unacceptable risk to the people.”
The charges come amid a political fight over videos of the incident on social media. Australian authorities have publicly clashed with billionaire Elon Musk and his social media company X over its refusal to adhere to an order to remove all videos of the stabbing from the platform. Musk and the platform have attacked the Australian government and the eSafety commissioner, who made the order, by accusing them of enabling censorship and trying to dictate what X users can see globally. On Monday, an Australian federal court ruled in favor of the eSafety Commission and issued an interim order requiring X to hide videos of the Sydney church stabbing globally by placing them behind a notice.
Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel, the cleric stabbed in the attack, chimed in with a video published early Thursday local time. Emmanuel acknowledged the government’s desire to take down the graphic videos, adding “I do not condone any acts of terrorism or violence.” Still, he said: “Noting our God-given right of freedom of speech and freedom of religion, I’m not opposed to the videos remaining on social media.” The bishop then appeared to take a shot at the government, saying it would be a concern if “people use the attack on me to serve their own political interests to control free speech.” In a court hearing over the government takedown order on Wednesday, lawyers representing X said Emmanuel had provided an affidavit supporting X’s stance on the matter. The lawyers said Emmanuel was “strongly of the view” that the clips of the attack should remain online.
Australian Opposition Leader Peter Dutton, who appeared to back the government in its fight against X earlier this week, told a local radio program he did not believe the eSafety Commission’s takedown ambit “extends to other countries, nor should it.” He added: “We can’t be the internet police of the world…and I think it’s silly to try that.” Dutton, however, added that social media companies have a responsibility to act within the law in Australia and should have no special exceptions.
