Queensland teen acquitted over alleged terror attack plan targeting Liberal Party members

A Queensland teenager has been acquitted by a Supreme Court jury of planning a terrorist act against members of the Liberal Party and the public. The verdict was delivered in Brisbane after jurors deliberated for more than one day. Family members in the public gallery were seen breaking down in tears as the decision was read out.

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The now 17-year-old, who cannot be legally identified under Queensland youth justice laws, had pleaded not guilty to one count of acts done in preparation for or in planning a terrorist act. The trial heard allegations that, when he was 16, he planned and prepared to set off an improvised explosive device at a Queensland Labour Day event in May 2024. Prosecutors said the alleged target later shifted to members of the Liberal Party because of the party's policy on nuclear power.

During the trial, the prosecution alleged that over several months the teenager researched different types of bombs, bought materials to make them and tested them. It was also alleged that he wrote about the plans in a diary and discussed them with a school friend, who later reported him to police. Police were alerted to the alleged plans in July 2024 after the friend came forward.

The jury's acquittal means the court did not accept the prosecution case that the conduct amounted to preparation for a terrorist act. The case is significant because it involved allegations of politically targeted violence and an alleged ideological motive linked to anti-technology and anti-capitalist beliefs. In closing submissions, Crown prosecutor Sally Flynn KC told the jury the teenager had acted with the intention of advancing an ideological cause.

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She said the alleged threat involved attacks in a public place or against people associated with, or perceived to be associated with, the Liberal Party of Australia. The trial also highlighted the role of youth justice protections in Queensland, which prevent the identification of the accused. That restriction means the case has been heard in public but with the teenager's identity withheld.

It also underlines the legal threshold prosecutors must meet in terrorism-related cases, where planning, intent and preparation all have to be proved to the satisfaction of a jury. What remains unclear is whether prosecutors will seek any further action following the acquittal, and whether the case will prompt any broader review of how alleged extremist threats involving young people are detected and assessed. The verdict closes this trial, but it leaves open questions about the evidence that was presented and how the alleged plans were first identified.

The next developments, if any, are likely to come from any official response after the jury's decision.

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