Key facts
- A Brisbane teenager is on trial for allegedly plotting terrorist attacks.
- The alleged targets included the Liberal party and a Labour Day march.
- The teenager was reportedly influenced by the Unabomber, Ted Kaczynski.
- He allegedly researched bomb-making, acquired chemicals, and wrote a manifesto.
- The accused pleaded not guilty in the Queensland Supreme Court.
A Brisbane teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons, has pleaded not guilty in the Queensland Supreme Court to charges of preparing or planning terrorist offences. The court heard that the then-16-year-old allegedly plotted attacks against the Liberal party and the 2024 Labour Day march, inspired by the ideology of Ted Kaczynski, the Unabomber.
Commonwealth prosecutor Sue Flynn told the jury that the teenager researched bomb-making, bought chemicals, and tested explosives. He allegedly communicated with friends for months about terrorism, bombs, and explosives, expressing anti-capitalist and anti-technology views akin to Kaczynski's manifesto, 'Industrial Society and Its Future'. Messages presented in court included the defendant stating 'the Unabomber was right' and that 'we need to mail bombs to people who have high influence on the industrial society'.
The teenager also allegedly possessed a copy of Kaczynski's essay and wrote his own manifesto critiquing the 'technological system' and 'man's greed and capitalistic ideals'. The court heard that a friend contacted Queensland police, leading to the teenager's arrest in August 2024. Ingredients for a bomb were allegedly discovered at his mother's house. The trial is expected to run for approximately 10 days, with terrorism professor Andrew Silke expected to testify about the influence of Kaczynski's anti-technology arguments.