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The rise of social media has made it far easier for people to connect on a range of platforms, allowing like-minded people to come together and bond over their shared interests.
However, with WA Police arresting two people in the space of two months over alleged terrorism charges, and questions remaining over whether they acted alone or as part of a group, it becomes more difficult for law enforcement agencies to identify and apprehend those suspected of plotting terrorist attacks.
Last month, 20-year-old Jayson Joseph Michaels, from the town of Bindoon north of Perth, appeared in Perth Magistrates Court,, facing five charges, including acting in preparation for a terrorist act.
The Western Australia Joint Counter Terrorism Team charged Michaels following an investigation into his online activities and the execution of a search warrant at his home.
The charges against the 20-year-old come just weeks after Liam Alexander Hall, 32, was accused of throwing a homemade bomb into a crowd of Invasion Day protesters, and was later charged with committing a terrorist act.
It is not alleged Hall’s charges are linked to those levelled against Michaels.
Associate Professor of Criminology at Murdoch University Dr Mark Briskey said identifying a lone-wolf terrorism suspect is far more difficult than finding a radicalised member of a group.
“If we have a particular person who’s up to some point is self radicalised, and then they decide they want to join up with some like-minded people, usually, as soon as they connect with that organisation, they’re pinged by ASIO or the police because those organisations are already being looked at,” he said.
“So it becomes much easier to then identify them when they join that spider web, whereas with individuals who may quietly develop this intense, intense dislike, intense focus on what they see as the iniquities of the government, politicians, the police and others, it’s extremely difficult to find that out unless someone actually contacts the police.”
Briskey said the two recent arrests in Western Australia appear to be examples of lone-wolf operators.
“So I would envisage that, both with this one from Bindoon and the one on Australia Day, that very soon we might see an increase in public awareness announcements being sponsored by both the federal and state governments about this,” he said.
“These particular two incidents, and other things around Australia and current events included, have the potential to ignite further incidents across a continuum of terrorism ideologies.
“The current conflict in the Middle East has the potential to ignite another lone-wolf attack – on both sides of the spectrum – both for and against.”
Speaking on ABC Mornings Perth this week, WA Police Commissioner Col Blanch said policing online activity is an issue for law enforcement agencies across the world.
“It is very well hidden in many spaces, and police simply do not have access to the internet of the world, if you will, and what’s going on there,” he said.
“Most of our, if not all of our intelligence is people’s behaviours in the community, in the home when they commit offences, but what’s happening online is very much a black spot, not only for police, but for parents, for service providers.
“We don’t know what’s happening on there, and then when we see it, it’s frightening.”
WA Premier Roger Cook echoed Blanch’s sentiments at a press conference earlier this week.
“I know what the police have highlighted is that there has been a growth in people who have been radicalised online, in isolation to the rest of the world, often in isolation even to their own families,” he said.
“So the opportunities to have intelligence with regards to their radicalisation process is very challenging.”
Associate Dean for Engagement in the Humanities at Murdoch University Dr Sam Teague said the social upheaval of the COVID lockdowns normalised online behaviour for many Australians.
“COVID normalised people working from home, or working hybrid or working from distance,” he said.
“It normalised studying from home, studying from distance.”
Teague said that level of isolation allows people to have a stronger connection with online services and social media, rather than direct contact with people.
“You get people now, in some instances, more likely to seek out AI for health advice around their mental health than going and seeing a clinician,” he said.
“You get a layering of isolation that breeds no structure and that sort of floating around, particularly for young men, is what makes people ripe for being picked up or captured by these ideas.
“Whether they’re radical or in the middle … that’s the end point when they’re in that online forum, but there’s probably seven, eight or nine social norms and behaviours before then that reinforce that moment and lead up to it in a way.”
Teague said social isolation, in a small percentage of instances, can lead to a darker place, particularly in males.
“There’ll be the percentage where the isolation and loneliness and fragmentation leads to extreme behaviour,” he said.
“A lot of these young men who are disconnected and isolated … sometimes the tendency is towards anarchy and chaos.”
Teague believes there is a growing awareness of the issues surrounding isolation and ways to combat it.
“Do they need to be more top down, like the social media ban?” he said.
“An intervention that is designed to look after you whether you think it’s right or wrong? Or does it need to be more community driven?
“There’s no rule book for how we maintain community and solidarity, whilst also celebrating the advances in technology that are good.”
However, Blanch still believes in the inherent good of the WA community.
“I think we amplify the minority who are expressing extremist views, and that’s who we should be concerned about,” Blanch said.
“So I’m not underplaying the seriousness, but I will say almost all of our community are good people, going about their business, enjoying life in Western Australia.
“I think we have to always keep that in context.”
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