Teenager shot dead by police after knife attack outside Perth Bunnings

Authorities say there is no ongoing threat to the public after an allegedly radicalized teenager armed with a large kitchen knife was shot dead by police in Western Australia.

The 16-year-old stabbed a man in the back at a Bunnings car park in Willetton in Perth’s south on Saturday evening and then charged at officers, WA Police Commissioner Col Blanch told reporters on Sunday.

He said body-worn footage of the incident shows the teenager approaching police who deployed their Tasers, but it did not have the “desired effect”.

The teenager then walked up to an officer who fired a single shot, Mr Blanch said.

When officers arrived on scene, they were unaware that a man had been stabbed in the back in the parking lot.

The stabbed man, whose age has not been made public, is in a serious but stable condition in hospital.

Blanch said the injured man was not related to the teenager and that he happened to be nearby when he was attacked.

The police commissioner said several triple zero calls were made regarding the incident, including from the teenager himself and several calls from members of the Muslim community in the state who were concerned about his behavior.

“We believe he sent relevant messages to some of those members, who immediately responded by calling police,” Blanch said.

“Once again I would like to thank the members of the Muslim community who did that because it allowed us to quickly identify who this person was and respond quickly.”

He described the teen involved as a white man with mental health issues who was known to police.

The boy has been part of an anti-radicalization support program since 2022, but the police are not concerned that he is part of a broader network.

Officers have been in contact with the teen’s family.

“I think the family really understands the situation that the police found themselves in, they are very upfront with the police,” Blanch said.

WA Prime Minister Roger Cook said there was “evidence he had been radicalized online”.

“I would like to reassure the community that at this stage it appears he acted solely and alone,” Cook said.

“Members of the WA Muslim community, concerned about his behaviour, contacted police prior to the incident and I thank them for their assistance,” he said.

“Our police responded within minutes. They found themselves in a very confrontational situation, but their quick and professional response kept our community safe.”

Blanch said the officer who fired the shot and his colleagues were “in pain” but insisted they had done their job.

The Director General of ASIO and the Australian Federal Police Commissioner informed Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of the incident.

“I have been informed that based on available information there is no ongoing threat to the community,” Albanese said on social media.

“We are a peace-loving nation and there is no place for violent extremism in Australia.”

The shooting and the events leading up to the incident will be investigated.

The imam of Adelaide’s Mahmood Mosque, who previously served in Perth, condemned the attack “in the strongest terms”.

“We are once again saddened to hear of yet another knife attack that has injured innocent civilians, this time in Perth,” Imam Kamran Tahir said in a statement.

“It must be made very clear that there is no justification for such acts in Islam.”