Critically injured 13-year-old got firebombing order on WhatsApp

A group of young people who allegedly carried out a firebombing at a house in Melbourne's north-west was tasked with targeting the address by middlemen who contacted them using WhatsApp. One teenager is still fighting for life in hospital after being engulfed in flames when two cars were set alight in Taylors Hill. What's next? The ABC understands police will use phone data to investigate the car fire. A schoolboy fighting for life after setting himself alight in a botched alleged arson attack received his orders via WhatsApp, the ABC can reveal. The boy remains in a critical condition with severe burns to his upper and lower body. The ABC can reveal the trio was tasked with targeting the address by middlemen who had communicated with one another using aliases on WhatsApp in the lead-up to the incident. After allegedly setting the two cars on fire, the trio had attempted to flee the scene in an allegedly stolen car, but crashed it seconds later. The two others then ran away, leaving the 13-year-old on fire behind. Close friends of the boy, who attends a secondary school in Melbourne's northern suburbs, told the ABC they were praying he survived. One friend, who cannot be named because they are underage, said: "He is a great guy. I felt alive with him." Another friend told the ABC: "He is more than just a friend to us. He is someone who brought so much laughter and happiness to everyone around him. "We have so many memories together that I'll always hold close to my heart and it would really be sad if we lose him. "No one deserves that. He was a funny person with so much love for everyone around him." "He was always making people laugh, even when nobody was expecting it," another close friend said. "He was caring, loyal and always there for his mates. "We're really worried about him. We're just hoping and praying that he pulls through." It is understood phone data will be central to the police investigation into the arson, which is among a string of similar incidents across Melbourne over consecutive nights.