Mosque raided after Australia ‘terrorism-linked’ shooting

An Australian mosque reportedly visited by a 15-year-old boy before he shot dead a civilian police employee in an “act of terrorism” has been raided, police said on Sunday, as authorities boosted efforts to tackle youth radicalisation. 

New South Wales state police said the mosque in Parramatta in western Sydney–close to the scene of the double shooting on Friday afternoon – was raided with the consent of religious leaders.  “NSW Police on Saturday executed a warrant at a mosque in Parramatta,” police said in a statement. 

“The warrant was undertaken by arrangement with leadership at the mosque who provided full assistance to police at all times.”  The 15-year-old gunman, who killed finance worker Curtis Cheng at close range outside the police force’s headquarters before he was shot dead by officers, visited the mosque before the shooting, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).  Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said the attack “appears to have been an act of terrorism”.  Police would not provide further details about the raid, while senior sources told the ABC that the teen’s sister went missing Thursday and boarded a Singapore Airlines flight to Istanbul, adding that she could be bound for Iraq or Syria.