MOSCOW, September 24 (RIA Novosti) - An 18-year-old man, shot dead by the Australian police in Melbourne after stabbing two law enforcers, was suspected of terrorism, The Australian reported Wednesday, citing the country's Justice Minister Michael Keenan.
Keenan revealed that the suspect was a "known terror suspect" and a person of interest for federal law enforcement and intelligence agencies, according to the newspaper.
On his Facebook page, the man, identified by the media as Numan Haider, had posted a photo of himself posing in military camouflage in front of an Islamic flag.
The photo was accompanied by an abusive message directed at the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and Australian Security Intelligence Organization (ASIO). "The main message I'm sending with these statuses and photos is to the dogs AFP and ASIO who are declaring war on Islam and Muslims," the message said.
A week before the shooting, the man reportedly brought the flag of the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group to a shopping mall, stirring up police interest. He came to a police station in Melbourne to be formally questioned on Tuesday night and stabbed two police officers, allegedly shouting threats to Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott, before being shot and killed.
"Obviously, this indicates that there are people in our community who are capable of very extreme acts. It also indicates that the police will be constantly vigilant to protect us against people who would do us harm," Abbott said in a video statement.
Earlier in September, Sydney saw unprecedented police raids after law enforcement officials said they had intercepted a phone call disclosing an IS plot to seize a random Sydney resident and behead him on camera. The case has led to detentions on allegations of terrorism and a heightening of the country's terrorism threat level.
Australia is a member of the US-led coalition fighting the IS militants in the Middle East. On Wednesday, Canberra reportedly deployed its aircraft and military personnel to the United Arab Emirates to participate in airstrikes on IS positions.
