Australian police are examining the extremist beliefs of three individuals who shot and killed two police officers and a neighbor on a rural farm before being slain by police hours later.
Gareth Train, one of the killers identified in the wake of Monday’s deadly shooting, posted a series of messages on conspiracy theory forums under his name, Queensland Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll said late Tuesday. Investigators will look into the killers’ possible extremist ties, Carroll said. The posts contain references to anti-vaccination beliefs and assertions that prior notable shootings were hoaxes or false-flag operations.
Carroll told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, “It is currently very difficult for us to rationalize what has occurred, given there are no evident causes.” She said, however, that she had little doubt that police would provide insight into the unfortunate events in the following days and weeks.
In Wieambilla, Australia, on December 13, 2022, police work near the scene of a tragic shooting in which police shot numerous persons on a remote Queensland property following an ambush in which two cops and a bystander were also murdered. AAP Image/Jason O’Brien courtesy of REUTERS
According to studies and polls, belief in conspiracy theories is prevalent and pervasive. Believers are more likely to obtain their news from social media than from traditional news outlets. The birth and fall of specific conspiracy theories is frequently correlated with real-world events and social, economic, or technical transformation.
Carroll stated that every conceivable motive for the murders is being investigated, including whether or not the police were the target of a premeditated attack.
“We will investigate what these individuals have been doing not only in recent weeks but also in recent years, as well as with whom they have been interacting,” she said.
Four cops arrived at the residence in the Queensland town of Wieambilla to investigate claims of a missing individual. Carroll added that it was a wonder that two officers managed to flee and raise the alarm after walking into a hail of bullets.
Constables Matthew Arnold, 26, and Rachel McCrow, 29, together with neighbor Alan Dare, 58, were killed.
Ian Leavers, president of the Queensland Police Union, stated, “Two police officers were executed in cold blood.”
As one officer took cover in tall grass, the perpetrators allegedly set a fire to coax her out.
“She truly feared she was going to be shot or burned alive,” Leavers explained to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
Local media said that Constable Keeley Brough sent panicked messages to loved ones as suspects attempted to smoke her out of the nearby forest where she hid. According to officials, she has been a police officer for only eight weeks.
Constable Randall Kirk, 28, was recuperating from shrapnel wounds in a hospital on Wednesday. Kirk was one of the other officers who escaped. He and his wife wished to thank everyone “from the Prime Minister on down” for their support messages.
“I’m feeling OK, just a bit sore. In this terrible moment, my primary thoughts are with the other cop families “Kirk stated in a police union-issued statement. It is reassuring to know that the community cares about us all.
Earlier in Sydney, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told reporters that the nation mourns with those afflicted.
“This is a tragic day for everyone who loved these Australians,” he said. “Our hearts go out to those in the throes of unimaginable pain.” “We are aware that this news has hit Queensland’s close-knit and loving community hard. In addition to the community to which every police officer belongs.”
He stated that cops around the nation are aware of the dangers they face yet nevertheless perform their duties.
“Today and every day, I honor the police officers who serve their local communities and the country,” Albanese stated. “This is not a price that any soldier should ever have to pay.”
Monday’s violence claimed the lives of six persons in Queensland, Australia. Former school principal Nathaniel Train, 47, his brother Gareth, 46, and sister-in-law Stacey, 45, have been named as the murderers.
After a gunman killed 35 people at a café in Port Arthur in 1996, Australia enacted stringent gun prohibitions, resulting in a low rate of gun violence.
AFP contributed to the creation of this report.
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