ISIS-inspired teen pleads guilty to planning Sydney terror attacks

ISIS-inspired teen pleads guilty to preparing potential terror attack on Sydney Opera House In short: A teenage boy has pleaded guilty to preparing for a mass terror attack in Sydney the name of ISIS. The Sydney court heard the then 14-year-old was exposed to extremist material on social media. What's next? The boy remains on bail and will be sentenced next month. A teenage boy has told a Sydney court he was considering carrying out a mass terror attack motivated by Islamic extremism in the CBD after being radicalised on social media. He was 14 years old when federal police arrested him in August 2024 at his Western Sydney home, where officers found more than 40 videos on his computer featuring extremist content. The boy, who cannot be identified, has pleaded guilty to committing acts in preparation for a terror attack at a sentencing hearing in the Supreme Court on Tuesday. The court heard the boy was "conducting online research into target locations and attack methodologies for the purpose of detonating explosive devices" motivated by Islamic extremism. The court heard the boy told Youth Justice workers he was raised by "good parents" who taught him to "respect everyone". He told the court on Tuesday he was first exposed to extremist material on TikTok earlier in 2024 and "found it very interesting". The court heard the content he consumed online on various sites became increasingly radical and violent, before the boy began communicating digitally with other people about his extremist views. The boy told the court he shared extremist content with them and was "trying to impress them". 'Down the rabbit hole' The court heard the boy spoke to people online about potential attack sites, including the Sydney Opera House and at the Sydney Marathon, showing interest in emulating the 2013 Boston Marathon Bombing. The court also heard the boy had not taken any steps to obtain any of the materials required to make a bomb or carry out the attack. When asked if he intended to carry out an attack, the boy told the court he was "thinking about it" and was "50/50" before he was arrested. He told the court he had since been "de-radicalised" and believes the ISIS group was "absolutely horrifying". When asked if he was still an Islamic extremist he replied "no" and told the judge he was "deeply sorry" for his actions. The boy spent time in custody when he was arrested before being released on bail to live at home with his parents, where he is now undergoing homeschooling. His defence barrister told the court he was "a young man who has seen the error of his ways" after having fallen "down the rabbit hole of extremist thinking". The court heard he has been given "religious counselling" and plans to enrol at a local high school next year. The boy remains on bail and will be sentenced next month.