Jordan Patten: Inside the twisted manifesto of the alleged teenage terror suspect who praised Christchurch mass killer
The teenager who allegedly livestreamed his attempt to stab an MP was inspired by Christchurch mass shooter Brenton Tarrant and planned more attacks, a manifesto has said.
Jordan Patten, 19, appeared via video link at Parramatta Local Court in Sydney’s west on Thursday, following his arrest in the center of the NSW city of Newcastle about 12.30pm on Wednesday.
Mr Patten was charged with committing an act in preparation for or planning a terrorist attack with police alleging he intended to kill Labor MP for Newcastle Tim Crakanthorp and live-streamed the act on video sharing platform Twitch.
Police will rely on evidence from the livestream showing Mr Patten dressed in combat gear and prepared alleged weapons, including a knife, hammer and saw, plus a manifesto he posted online.
In the 200-page manifesto, Mr Patten is said to make clear his admiration for Tarrant, the Australian who became the first person in New Zealand to be sentenced to life without parole for the murder of 51 people in two mosque shootings in Christchurch in 2019.
Tarrant streamed his atrocities live on Facebook and also shared a 74-page manifesto online objecting to immigration and multiculturalism, and lamenting the demise of white, European Western culture.
In the manifesto, Patten reportedly follows similar themes and expresses extreme hostility towards LGBTIQ people and the Labor Party, along with references to so-called incel (involuntarily celibate) ideas attributed to disaffected and alienated young men.
Patten would also write that he had a normal childhood, but had once brought a knife to school and had also told a school counselor that he wanted to kill people but felt ignored.
A teenager allegedly livestreamed an aborted attempt to stab a Labor MP in Newcastle (pictured)
He is also said to have revealed his plans to behead politicians and targets The New Year’s Eve fireworks display in Sydney.
Footage from the livestream shows Patten donning a helmet, surgical face mask and ballistic vest while wearing army khakis in a bathroom at Newcastle’s Civic Theater and showing off his collected kit, neatly spread out on a blanket.
He then crossed a road and entered the office of Newcastle MP Tim Crakanthorp.
Before the incident and his arrest, Mr Patten shared images of the equipment he would use
He then quickly left the office and walked towards the museum in Workshop Way, where a member of staff told him ‘you can’t be dressed like that’, before raising the alarm.
The employee raised the alarm after Patten entered the building, telling him, “You need to leave (because you’re) dressed like that, sir.”
“Please come out for us.”
The livestream then shows the man leaving the museum and placing his knife and bag on a chair before the doors are locked behind him.
The man behind the camera doesn’t say a single word throughout the entire seven-minute video as he leisurely walks between locations.
The teenager is said to have briefly entered the office of Labor MP for Newcastle Tim Crakanthorp (pictured) before leaving and walking leisurely to the museum.
During Thursday’s hearing, the magistrate told the court that Patten’s alleged crime had “undertones of mental health issues.”
The teenager did not apply for bail and the case was postponed until August 21.