SYDNEY -- An Iranian teenager fatally shot a civilian member of Sydney's police force in a killing that authorities believe is linked to terrorism, officials said today.
The 15-year-old, who is of Iraqi-Kurdish background and was born in Iran, shot a New South Wales police finance worker with a handgun at close range as the man left work in the western Sydney suburb of Parramatta on Friday, police Commissioner Andrew Scipione said. The teen then fired at responding officers, who shot and killed him, Scipione said.
"We believe that based on the information that we have, that this was politically motivated," Scipione said. "If it's politically motivated violence, then under our definition, it is deemed necessarily an act of terrorism."
Scipione declined to release details on why police believe the teen's actions were prompted by politics.
Police think he was acting alone and do not know whether he'd been influenced or radicalized by someone else, Scipione said. Officials had not received any warnings that a shooting was imminent, he said.
The shooter lived in the Parramatta area, Scipione said. Police did not release his name.
The victim was Curtis Cheng, a 17-year veteran of the police force's finance department. He was shot from behind, Scipione said.
A Section on 10/03/2015