Bail denied for 13-year-old boy charged with violent extremist offence

13-year-old boy charged with violent extremist offence not released on bail Wed 17 Jun 2026 at 4:58pm In short: A 13-year-old Maryborough boy charged with a violent extremist offence has been denied bail. Queensland police say the boy had documents on his devices that could be an "attack plan" on a school, and a manifesto expressing hatred towards children. What's next? The teenager will remain in custody and the matter will return to court in September. A 13-year-old Queensland boy charged with allegedly preparing to carry out an attack at a school will remain in custody after his bail application was rejected. He appeared in the Maryborough Children's Court today via videolink. The teenager showed no emotion when Magistrate John Milburn made his decision. The boy has been charged with one count each of preparation or planning to cause death or grievous bodily harm and possessing or controlling violent extremist material obtained or accessed using a carriage of service. Police prosecutor Nick Jones said the boy had bought items online, including black gloves and a mask, to prepare for an attack, and specifically chose children for their vulnerabilities. Senior Constable Jones said the boy had footage of the Christchurch massacre in 2019 on his devices. Senior Constable Jones said the boy was an "unacceptable risk" to public safety. 'Manifesto' expresses hatred towards others The teenager has been in custody since May 30 after detectives searched his Maryborough home and seized several devices, the court heard. Police were first alerted to the boy after being called to a service station on Saltwater Creek Road in Maryborough on May 28, to reports of a person with a knife. He was taken into custody, dealt with under the Youth Justice Act, cautioned and released. Further investigations led to counter terrorism detectives becoming involved, who then charged the boy with two violent extremist offences. Senior Constable Jones said police had found what they believed to be the boy's "manifesto", which expressed hatred towards Jewish people, "black people and children". The entire manifesto was read to the court but the ABC has chosen not to publish the details. Defence barrister Clem Van Der Weegen questioned the relevance of the manifesto, telling the court the document was the "ranting of a teenager". Mr Van Der Weegen said the boy was not a risk to the public because his client had self-regulated and stopped himself from hurting anyone at the service station. He referred to a transcript of the boy's interview with police, where he told officers, "I couldn't do it." The court heard the service station incident was a spontaneous reaction to anxiety around his parents arguing, with a knife taken from the kitchen sink, and had not been planned for weeks or days. Mr Van Der Weegen said police questioned the boy for 80 minutes on May 30, while he was in handcuffs, and he said his client had "reached breaking point". He told the court the police actions were "oppressive", "degrading" and "coercive". This was rejected by Senior Constable Jones. The matter is due to return to court on September 15. [Image text:] MARYBOROUGH COURTHOUSE BUILTC:1878