Sunday, October 4, 2015

Aussie gunman in Parramatta police HQ shooting identified as Farhad Khalil Mohammad Jabar; his sister flees the country

(SMH) The 15-year-old boy who shot dead a NSW police employee outside the force's headquarters had not come to the attention of counter terrorism police before he carried out the "politically motivated" attack.

High school student Farhad Khalil Mohammad Jabar shot dead police accountant Curtis Cheng, 58, from behind and at close range outside police headquarters at Parramatta at 4.30pm on Friday.

The teenager, who went to school at Arthur Phillip High just 300 metres away from where the attack took place, then continued to fire his handgun outside the police building until he was killed in a shoot out with three special constables.

NSW Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione said it was believed the teenager was acting alone and that police had no prior information that he posed "this type of threat".

"We are exploring every avenue with regard to why he did what he did," Mr Scipione said.

"We have no information that this individual posed this type of threat but ... we believe his actions were politically motivated and therefore linked to terrorism."

Fairfax Media has been told Farhad was not linked to anyone targeted in Operation Appleby, the massive counter terrorism raids carried out in September 2014.

It was reported that his brother contacted police after hearing of the shooting, concerned Farhed might have been involved.

Police were on Saturday night trying to make contact with Farhad's sister. The ABC reported she flew out of Australia on a Singapore Airlines flight bound for Istanbul on Thursday and may have been attempting to reach Iraq or Syria.

She had taken all of her belongings with her.

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