Australian police charge 5 teens in investigation stemming from stabbing of Sydney bishop

By ROD McGUIRK
Associated Press

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Police in Australia say five teenagers accused of following a violent extremist ideology have been charged with a range of offenses in an investigation that began with the stabbing of a bishop in a Sydney church. Police said Thursday the five are among seven boys arrested across southwest Sydney the previous day in a major operation involving more than 400 officers. Two boys aged 16 and a 17-year-old have been charged with conspiring to engage in or planning a terrorist act. The older boy is also charged with carrying a knife in public. Two boys aged 14 and 17 have been charged with possessing or controlling violent extremist material accessed online. All five remain in police custody and will appear before a children’s court.