Rossmoyne Senior High, WA: School attended by ‘radicalised’ teen swarmed by cops after threatening messages were posted in student forum

Police have swarmed the Western Australian high school of a 16-year-old boy who was shot dead by police after threats to shoot the students were posted online.

The teenager stabbed a man in the Willetton Bunnings car park in Perth’s south about 10.15pm on Saturday, with police shooting the boy after they failed to stop him with Tasers.

The man is in a stable condition at Royal Perth Hospital.

A WA Police spokesperson said they were investigating the threats against Rossmoyne Senior High School – which appeared vexatious and were not made by a student.

The disturbing messages were sent via the school’s internal forum for students and teachers on Monday evening.

They include: ‘All I say is Allahu Ahkbar, I will kill the n…… tomorrow’ and ‘the reason I put gang signs on my pictures is because I always planned to be at the school to shoot and f… all n…… c… you will all be punished for what you said to me at school, we will prevail’.

The school’s principal, Alan Brown, labeled the messages a “hoax” and blamed it on a “hacking incident.”

“As many of you know, there are some inappropriate messages circulating among students and in the community,” he said in an email Tuesday, obtained by The West.

‘It has been confirmed that this is a hacking incident and the messages do not come from a student.

“Police have been notified and are investigating the matter and have confirmed there is no additional threat to the school or our students.”

In response to the messages, several parents chose to keep their children home from school on Tuesday.

Six police cars and several officers were seen outside the school Tuesday morning.

“Police have no concerns for the safety of students, teachers and the wider community, and WA Police continue to work with the Department of Education to identify the source of the messages,” the spokesperson said.

One parent told reporters as they left a meeting with the school’s principal that authorities would not tell parents whether other youths who are part of a group of known extremists attended the school or where they were located.

“The Department of Education will not release that information,” she said.

The parent said they were told the school had done everything it could to ensure the safety of the students and that there was “no concern” that the student had remained at school after detonating a homemade bomb that had hit a toilet block destroyed.

“We had a known extremist who brought a bomb to school,” she said.

‘They knew he was an extremist even before the bomb. He had been an extremist in a program for about four years, the bomb happened last year.”

She said students at the high school and other schools in the area felt scared, and that if authorities waited for something to happen, it would be too late.

On Monday, Prime Minister Roger Cook confirmed claims that parents of pupils attending Rossmoyne Senior High School, the same school as the boy, had raised concerns about the teenager.

Mr Cook revealed the teenager had been radicalized online, despite only having access to a ‘very basic phone’ with no internet access.

Before the attack, the teenager sent a final message to people saying he was walking ‘the path of jihad’, with members of Perth’s concerned Islamic community alerting police to the messages.

“Brethren, please forgive me for every time I have wronged you. I am going on the path of jihad tonight for the sake of Allah,” wrote the boy, who had reportedly converted to Islam.

“I am a soldier of the mujahideen of Al Qaeda and I take responsibility for the actions that will take place tonight.”

He also warned his contacts to “erase” incriminating evidence from devices such as laptops and phones.

“If you have illegal or jihadist stuff online or in real life, make sure you hide it well and clear your technology, like laptops and phones, including search history… as the police will probably look at my contacts,” the wrote boy. .

The teen had allegedly tried to indoctrinate other students at his high school and spent more than two years in a “deradicalization program.”

WA Liberal Leader Libby Mettam said while Prime Minister Roger Cook would like to see this incident as an example of how his government was keeping the community safe, she struggled to agree to such a suggestion.

“We have an incident where a 16-year-old who was taking part in a deradicalisation program was involved in making a home-made bomb which destroyed a toilet block,” she said.

“He planned to break up a meeting in the most devastating way and could have continued learning in a public mainstream school.

“There have been a number of red flags raised by parents in this community and the Minister for Education has continued to address these very real concerns.

“This is a government that is failing to keep a community safe.

“It is appalling to hear that this government has repeatedly dismissed these very real concerns from parents in this school community.”

Department of Education Director General Lisa Rodgers said it was a distressing incident for everyone and they were working closely with the school to ensure students had all the support they needed.

“I cannot comment on the details of this police investigation, but I can reassure parents that there are very extensive protocols in place in many government agencies to identify students who may pose a risk to others in relation to violent extremism,” she said.

‘This includes referrals to the Department of Child Protection. Once a student has been referred, specialist teams within WA Police deal with the young person.”

Ms Rodgers said this process for dealing with students vulnerable to extremism has been in place between WA Police and the Department of Education since 2016, and in this particular case all the correct protocols were followed.

“Since 2022, this student has developed an individual management plan that has established rules regarding his behavior, monitored his attendance and online activities, included routine check-ins with authorities and provided him with comprehensive psychological support,” she said.

“He was also part of the Countering Violent Extremism Program.

“In any case where a young person is identified as being at risk of radicalization, government agencies will work together to ensure the safety and well-being of the entire student population, including those who may be vulnerable to extremism.”

Cook also addressed claims that an extremist group of teenagers used the Rossmoyne prayer room as a meeting room.

“The prayer room is about creating an inclusive school environment so that all students feel like they belong and can and do go to that school and get a good education in an inclusive community,” he said.

“In terms of the use of places of worship in those types of environments… this is an issue that our education experts can call on.

“They are the ones responsible for creating the school community and educating our children, and they do a great job.”