Counter-terrorism expert says police probably wanted to do the right thing by 18-year-old Numan Haider before he stabbed them, inquest hears

This article is more than 4 years old

This article is more than 4 years old

Counter-terrorism police were probably trying to help a radicalised Muslim teenager when they met with him in Melbourne before he stabbed them and was shot dead, an inquest has heard.

Numan Haider, 18, was shot after stabbing two police officers who had arranged to meet him outside Endeavour Hills police station on 23 September 2014.

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By that stage, Asio had been monitoring Haider for months, and the teen’s passport application had been rejected on security grounds.

A counter-terrorism expert told an inquest into the teen’s death it appeared police were trying to keep their interactions with Haider neutral when they arranged to meet him in the station car park.

“It seemed like a reasonable way of meeting,” Deakin University’s Prof Greg Barton told the Victorian coroner’s court on Friday.

Earlier, police had been to Haider’s house and searched his room, but the teen was not present.

“You had police trying to do the right thing, by trying to follow up with someone they were concerned about,” Barton said.

It’s difficult to say with clarity why the radicalised teen decided to attack police, but recent events offer some insight, the academic said.

“We need to understand this particular tragic event in its historical context,” Barton said.

Five days before he was killed, Haider posted a photo of himself on Facebook wearing camouflage gear and a balaclava while holding a flag associated with Islamic State.

The photo was posted on the same day as Australia’s largest counter-terrorism operation, which involved more than 800 officers in pre-dawn raids in Sydney.

Footage of those raids – filmed by New South Wales police – was circulated widely and included “distressing” images of women being forced outside their homes, Barton said.

In response to some of his friends’ comments about the photo, Haider claimed it was “the dogs of AFP who are declaring war on Muslims”.

Two days before Haider’s attack, Islamic State also called on its supporters to kill soldiers and civilians in Australia, the US, and Europe.

Hours before he died, Haider told a public servant his application for a passport had been rejected for “bullshit” reasons.

Barton believes a more low-key role by police may have changed the course of their meeting with Haider, but said he wasn’t suggesting Victoria police had done something wrong.

“Knowing what we now know, we could have done things differently,” he said.

The inquest has been adjourned until Tuesday.