A teenager has been arrested in the Australian city of Melbourne after pleas for help went out on social media saying that he was planning to conduct a terror attack.
The police action was responding to threatening social media posts put out by a person who identified as the adolescent’s mother.
“Hi, call the police, my son is going crazy,” read the social media message.
“He have locked me in the house and have all the phones. He have drugs and weapons, he is plans a terror attack please.”
Two messages were sent to the Instagram accounts of the Channel 7 television network around midday Nov. 24. A similar one was sent to Ambulance Victoria. All three included the address details of the teenager.
The television station alerted the police who sent out 40 heavily-armed officers, including the Critical Incident Response Team, to the address.
The police blocked off the road and monitored the house before arresting two males, one of whom was the teenager. He remains in detention.
“He is currently in custody assisting police with their enquiries,” Victoria Police told 7 News.
