Police thwart ‘drone bomb’ terror attack on Peter Dutton – with a private schoolboy accused over plot to blow up the Opposition Leader’s house

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton was the alleged target of a private school student’s terror plot.

The 16-year-old boy was arrested and charged last August after a joint counter-terrorism investigation by federal and Queensland police.

Sources claim the teen was allegedly planning to attack the Coalition leader’s property north of Brisbane, The Australian reported.

The teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was a pupil at one of Brisbane’s most prestigious private boys schools until his arrest.

The charge alleges he researched ‘bomb-making instructions, purchased explosives ingredients, tested thermal chemical reactions, tested homemade explosives’ contrary to section 101.6 of the Commonwealth Criminal Code. 

It is alleged the boy, who has been held in custody since his arrest, planned the attack from May 21 to July 15 last year.

The teen was charged with a commonwealth offence of committing acts done ‘in preparation for, or planning, a terrorist act’.

He was committed to stand trial on a single charge relating to the alleged plot on Thursday.

He faces a maximum penalty of life imprisonment if he is convicted. 

No details were given during the hearing, nor in court documents, as to who was the target of the alleged plot. 

It’s understood Mr Dutton has been made aware that he was the target of the alleged plot. 

A prosecutor submitted witness statements as part of the brief of evidence in the case. 

His lawyer, Michael Cridland said the boy had a case to answer and consented to him being committed to stand trial before a jury at a later date. 

Magistrate Megan Power told the boy that ‘Your lawyer has said there is enough evidence in the paperwork that has been provided to me to justify you going on trial in a higher court, the Supreme Court.’

When he was asked if he would like to enter a plea, the teenager, appearing by video link from a detention centre, replied that ‘No, I do not wish to enter any plea.’

Both of his parents were at the hearing. 

Mr Cridland did not apply for his client to get bail.

A media application to report on the boy’s first court appearance last year was refused by Ms Power. 

Mr Cridland reportedly opposed the application on the grounds that the teenager had mental health issues.

The lawyer said the boy would be ‘particularly vulnerable’ if any information was made available to the media, The Australian reported.

‘The risk of prejudice … far outweighs any public interest there is in the media covering these proceedings,’ Mr Cridland told the court.

Ms Power refused the media’s application at the time, citing a risk of prejudice to the boy because having an extra person in court could make him uncomfortable, and said the Children’s Court was ‘generally a closed jurisdiction’. 

‘There are good reasons for that, Mr Cridland has pointed that out, those reasons from a youth justice principles particularly in respect of criminal matters,’ she said. 

‘In this matter, which involves a 16-year-old young person, who I am told and without challenge accept that suffers particular vulnerability … there is a risk of prejudice to him.’ 

But the media was allowed to cover the hearing on Thursday.

More to come.