Publication

This brief discusses the arrest in October 2016 of two 16-year olds in Sydney, Australia, who were preparing to commit a terrorist act. More specifically, the text’s authors outline the circumstances of the arrests and what they illustrate about 1) youth radicalization and homegrown terrorist networks in Australia; 2) counterterrorism responses and information sharing within the country; and 3) the weapons that potential terrorist actors might use. Finally, the authors recommend ways in which Australia’s security agencies might improve their counterterrorism response capabilities.