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Mr Hammer
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EVIDENCE left at the scene of a fatal service station attack — possibly involving the way the victim was killed — led police to suspect terrorism links.
Counter-terrorism police are leading the investigation into the killing of 29-year-old Caltex attendant Zeeshan Akbar just before midnight on Thursday. His death was one of a series of violent incidents in the NSW town, just outside Canberra, that police allege were committed by two teenage boys, aged 15 and 16.
Police allege one man was stabbed in the abdomen on a street close to the service station, another man was attacked with a bottle, while a fourth was attacked with a tyre iron.
NSW Police Deputy Commissioner Catherine Burn told a Sydney media conference on Friday afternoon police were exploring links the 16-year-old may have to terrorism.
“We have two teenagers in custody and sufficient information to believe the actions of one of those teenagers may be related to terrorism. That information comes from physical evidence at the scene and other sources.”
Initial inquiries suggested there were links to a “modus operandi that we would suggest is indicative of a terrorist attack, inspired or otherwise.”
Asked specifically about reports the letters “IS” were written in blood on a window, Ms Burn said physical evidence left at the scene “does go to our view that this might be an act of terrorism ... which has clearly led us to consider other avenues of inquiry, notably counter-terrorism related ... That’s why we are interested.”
But she refused to say what the evidence was.
Investigators from the NSW Joint-Counter Terrorism Team were now trying to establish a motive and whether there were in fact any links between terror groups and the boys — and to what extent.
“We can’t draw any conclusions whatsoever and in fact it is only one line of inquiry at the moment. Clearly, a man has been murdered, and three other men have been seriously injured, [so] and we have to look at every avenue of inquiry at the moment.”
Another line of inquiry was if the drug ice played a role in the violence.
Ms Burn said there was nothing to suggest a terror attack was imminent or any ongoing threat.
“Nevertheless, the investigation is ongoing. We have a long way to go. This is in its early stages. There is a lot that we don’t know yet, there is a lot that we will find out over the next couple of days.”
JJCT officers were trawling social media pages belonging to the arrested teens for evidence of extreme views.
They were also investigating family members over claims the boys may have been radicalised.
Earlier on Friday, a senior officer told reporters the attacks allegedly carried out by two teen boys “doesn’t get more serious than this.”
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said the circumstances were “sufficiently concerning” for the JCTT to lead the investigation.
The fact two young teenagers were alleged to be involved was “shocking”, and underlined the “concerns” the government had about young Australians being drawn into committing violent acts.
The attendant was discovered dead in the Bungendore Road Caltex service station at 11.55pm by a colleague who was arriving for work. Emergency services were called, but the man couldn’t be saved and he died at the scene.
His colleague arrived less than 10 minutes after the stabbing and came across “a gruesome scene,” Monaro Police Superintendent Rod Smith said.
Police will allege the two boys walked into the Caltex store at 11.45pm and began fighting with the attendant.
“It’s alleged during that struggle the attendant suffered a number of stab wounds which were fatal to that man,” Supt Smith said.
Police launched an “intensive” hunt for the two boys who were captured by the station’s CCTV cameras. It’s believed the bloody attack was also caught on camera.
He wouldn’t say if they were known to police, but both boys were from the Queanbeyan area.
The cash register and other items were taken from the store and significant damage was done when the boys had to “smash their way out” through a window after the door automatically locked behind them.
“Police allege they were involved in a number of other incidents in the Queanbeyan area. One being an aggravated break and enter where a man was bashed with a tyre iron, another where a man was bashed with a park here with a beer bottle.
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