Australian teenager charged with terrorist offences

Sydney, September 3 (IANS): Authorities in the Australian state of Queensland have charged a teenager with terrorist offences in connection with an attack on a school, local media reported on Tuesday.

Officers from the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and Queensland's joint counter-terrorism team arrested the 16-year-old in August after he allegedly tried to buy firearms online, Xinhua news agency reported, citing News Corp Australia newspapers.

He is charged under federal criminal law with preparing or planning terrorist attacks.

If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.

Authorities reportedly believe he intended to use the firearms in an attack on a school in a northern suburb of Brisbane, the state capital and Australia's third-largest city.

The AFP said an investigation was ongoing but that there was no ongoing threat to the Australian public.

On the advice of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO), Prime Minister Anthony Albanese raised the official terror alert level for Australia from “possible” to “likely” in August.

ASIO Director General Mike Burgess said at the time that more and more Australians were being radicalised and that this was happening at a faster pace, and warned that more and more Australians were prepared to use violence for their cause.