A teenager accused of preparing a nail bombing campaign against then opposition leader Peter Dutton and a Brisbane Labour Day march was either a 'troubled kid' making edgy jokes or a determined terrorist, a Brisbane court has heard during closing arguments.
Teenager's state of mind at centre of trial
The teenager, who cannot be named due to his age, pleaded not guilty to one count of acts done in preparation for or planning a terrorist act. The trial in the Brisbane Supreme Court heard that he researched and tested homemade explosives, with alleged targets including Peter Dutton and the Labour Day march.
Defence barrister Laura Reece told the jury on Monday that the teen engaged in 'clearly dangerous experimentation' with household chemicals, but argued his state of mind was the central issue. 'He was a troubled kid. He was experimenting not only with explosives but with ideas and beliefs,' Reece said. 'He was seeking out extremist material from wildly contradictory sources from the dark corners of the internet.'
Prosecution says teen was serious about copying US domestic terrorists
Crown prosecutor Sally Flynn countered that the teenager was serious when he wrote of copying US domestic terrorists like Ted Kaczynski, the 'Unabomber', and Timothy McVeigh, who killed 167 people with a truck bomb in Oklahoma City. 'Technology has left a very clear indication of his acts and a very clear indication of his thoughts,' Flynn told the jury. 'There is a very powerful body of evidence in that case that comes directly from the defendant. It's his messages that are relied upon, his web searches and the documents he downloaded.'
The jury heard that the boy, about to turn 16 in July 2024, texted a school friend about bombing the Liberal party over its support for nuclear power and filmed himself testing incendiary devices in his back yard. Flynn pointed to his possession of a terrorist bomb manual, a military handbook on improvised munitions, and a video of the Christchurch shooting massacre. She said he could be convicted despite no terror attack having occurred.
Defence argues 'edgy joke' and troubled home life
Reece told the jury that the teen's talk of bombing the Labour Day march was an 'edgy joke', and on the day of the event he stayed home and chatted with a friend about accounting homework. She highlighted that the teen's parents had started separating just before his alleged offences, and his 'whole world was coming apart'. 'He wrote in his diary he was suicidal and heard voices,' Reece said.
Justice Sean Cooper is due to give directions to jurors on Tuesday before they begin deliberations.
