The Australian
A CORONER has heard how radicalised teenager Numan Haider launched into an immediate and frenzied stabbing attack when approached by two counter-terrorism officers who yelled at him to drop his knife.
Haider, who had expressed support for the Islamic State by carrying their flag at a suburban Melbourne shopping centre, was fatally shot last week after going to meet members of a Victorian and federal police joint counter-terrorism task force outside the Endeavour Hills
police station.
Coroner John Olle today held the first directions hearing of his probe into the 18-year old’s death.
Counsel assisting the coroner, Jessica Wilby, told the court Haider had gone to the police station at the request of the counter-terrorism team to talk about the cancellation of his passport.
Authorities had been monitoring Haider for several weeks as he displayed increasingly radical behaviour, and feared he would try to join the dozens of Australians fighting for jihadist forces in Iraq and Syria.
Haider had attended lectures at the al-Furqan Islamic centre which was the centre of counter-terrorism raids in 2012.
Ms Wilby said Haider called the AFP officer he had been dealing with at 7.30pm on September 23 to say he was outside the police station, in the carpark of the neighbouring child care centre.
As the AFP officer and a Victoria Police colleague left the station and approached Haider, they noticed he had his hand in his jacket pocket.
They asked him to remove his hand, and he did so — revealing a knife clasped in his fist.
Haider then swiftly launched an attack on the Victoria Police officer, stabbing him in the arm.
The officer fell backwards and Haider moved on to the AFP officer, stabbing him repeatedly in the head and chest.
The Victoria Police officer commanded Haider to drop his weapon, but the frenzied attack continued, prompting the officer to shoot a single fatal round to the teenager’s head.
Haider was pronounced dead at 8.07pm.
He was still clutching the knife in his hand when other police officers arrived to investigate the scene.
The names of the two police officers have been suppressed due to fears for their safety.
Today Mr Olle also suppressed the names and images of the Haider family, hearing they had received death threats since the attack.
Haider’s father and brother attended the brief directs hearing.
Mr Olle said he wanted to provide independent answers to “grieving families” and the community.
“The particular sensitivity surrounding this incident demands the utmost public confidence in the coronial jurisdiction as an independent investigative authority,” he said.
“It is important to remember there are three Victorian families directly involved in this incident.”
Victoria Police acting sergeant Neil Smith, who is leading the homicide investigation, told the court 35 witness statements had already been obtained, with 40 statements still to come.
Results of toxicology, pathology, forensic and ballistic tests are still pending.
CCTV footage of the surrounding area is also being reviewed.
The coroner will receive a brief of the evidence in January ahead of an inquest date yet to be fixed.
A CORONER has heard how radicalised teenager Numan Haider launched into an immediate and frenzied stabbing attack when approached by two counter-terrorism officers who yelled at him to drop his knife.
Haider, who had expressed support for the Islamic State by carrying their flag at a suburban Melbourne shopping centre, was fatally shot last week after going to meet members of a Victorian and federal police joint counter-terrorism task force outside the Endeavour Hills
police station.
Coroner John Olle today held the first directions hearing of his probe into the 18-year old’s death.
Counsel assisting the coroner, Jessica Wilby, told the court Haider had gone to the police station at the request of the counter-terrorism team to talk about the cancellation of his passport.
Authorities had been monitoring Haider for several weeks as he displayed increasingly radical behaviour, and feared he would try to join the dozens of Australians fighting for jihadist forces in Iraq and Syria.
Haider had attended lectures at the al-Furqan Islamic centre which was the centre of counter-terrorism raids in 2012.
Ms Wilby said Haider called the AFP officer he had been dealing with at 7.30pm on September 23 to say he was outside the police station, in the carpark of the neighbouring child care centre.
As the AFP officer and a Victoria Police colleague left the station and approached Haider, they noticed he had his hand in his jacket pocket.
They asked him to remove his hand, and he did so — revealing a knife clasped in his fist.
Haider then swiftly launched an attack on the Victoria Police officer, stabbing him in the arm.
The officer fell backwards and Haider moved on to the AFP officer, stabbing him repeatedly in the head and chest.
The Victoria Police officer commanded Haider to drop his weapon, but the frenzied attack continued, prompting the officer to shoot a single fatal round to the teenager’s head.
Haider was pronounced dead at 8.07pm.
He was still clutching the knife in his hand when other police officers arrived to investigate the scene.
The names of the two police officers have been suppressed due to fears for their safety.
Today Mr Olle also suppressed the names and images of the Haider family, hearing they had received death threats since the attack.
Haider’s father and brother attended the brief directs hearing.
Mr Olle said he wanted to provide independent answers to “grieving families” and the community.
“The particular sensitivity surrounding this incident demands the utmost public confidence in the coronial jurisdiction as an independent investigative authority,” he said.
“It is important to remember there are three Victorian families directly involved in this incident.”
Victoria Police acting sergeant Neil Smith, who is leading the homicide investigation, told the court 35 witness statements had already been obtained, with 40 statements still to come.
Results of toxicology, pathology, forensic and ballistic tests are still pending.
CCTV footage of the surrounding area is also being reviewed.
The coroner will receive a brief of the evidence in January ahead of an inquest date yet to be fixed.
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