Teen charged over alleged plans to carry out random violence in Maryborough

A teenage boy has been charged over alleged plans to carry out acts of violence against random members of the public.

Counter-terrorism detectives arrested the 14-year-old in Maryborough, Queensland , on Monday, following an investigation launched on August 25 after police were alerted to a potential threat in the area.

WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Teen charged over alleged plan to attack innocent people

Detectives executed search warrants at several locations on August 27 and 28, including the teenager’s home, where electronic devices and other items were seized for forensic examination.

Police allege the teenager had been planning acts of violence for months, with digital evidence recovered from the seized devices identifying three potential public targets.

Detective Inspector Chris Knight, from the Queensland Police Service Counter-Terrorism Investigation Group, said the alleged preparations had progressed to the point where police believed an attack could have occurred within days.

“There were three identified locations within the community that were identified,” Knight said.

“We will allege that there were acts of violence that were going to be carried out on random individuals within the community.

“We will be alleging that the preparations that were in place and the intention behind those preparations was to randomly target a number of people.”

Police have not disclosed the specific locations or whether a school was among the alleged targets, saying the matter is now before the courts .

The teenager has been charged with acts in preparation to cause death or grievous bodily harm, possession of a knife in a public place and possession of violent extremist material.

Police allege the teenager was acting independently, with Knight saying investigators had found no evidence he had communicated with anyone else in relation to the preparations.

Police also allege a knife was linked to the investigation through historical data captured on a mobile phone.

No knife was recovered from the boy’s possession or from a public place, police said.