Victim identified as Curtis Cheng, 58, — father of two and 17-year veteran of the police force who worked in finance

Killer named as Farhad Khalil Mohammad Jabar

15-year-old gunman of Iraqi-Kurdish background and born in Iran

NSW Police commissioner Andrew Scipione: Attack ‘linked to terrorism’

A NEIGHBOUR of the teen terrorist who shot dead a worker outside Parramatta Police headquarters said he was just a “normal kid.”

The man who wished not to be named said he never saw Farhad Khalil Mohammad Jabar, 15, in black robes or traditional Islamic dress.

“Just everyday clothes jeans and t shirt he was just a normal kid to be honest with you,” he said.

The neighbour said he was stunned when he saw in the media that he was responsible for the shooting.

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“Like everyone else (I was surprised) it did not match to the kid that I saw,” he said.

“(I had) more questions than anything else, how does a kid get a gun?”

The neighbour said he saw him going to the shops a lot and although he never spoke to him he said he seemed “cordial”.

Another neighbour who wished not to be named said she was “shocked” and a “little bit scared,” when she found out the teenager lived in her North Parramatta unit block.

media_camera A confirmed photograph of Parramatta shooter Farhad Khalil Mohammad Jabar, 15. Picture: Instagram

A bus driver who lives in the same unit block was stunned to find out he had been living close by to the terror teen.

“I am shocked he is living here,” Sukhvir Gill, who has lived with his wife and children in the unit block for a year, said.

“It is shocking you don’t know who is living here ... it’s a very sad situation,” he said. The top floor flat where Farhad lived was quiet this morning.

The family of the teenager have gone to view his body at Glebe morgue.

Relatives were seen leaving the North Parramatta unit bock about 10.45 am in a red Kluger.

A man wearing sunglasses was driving the vehicle while a passenger in the front seat covered their head with black material as they left the underground carpark of the unit block.

The Kluger arrived at Glebe morgue on Parramatta Rd just before midday and the man and two women, dressed in head scarves which they used to cover their faces, got out of the vehicle and went inside.

The teenager may have been trying to impress a group that was already under investigation by counterterrorism authorities.

He was not on police radar leading up to the attack.

But it is believed he was on the fringe of a group that had already come to the notice of police.

A key line of inquiry for Joint Counter-Terrorism investigators has been whether Jabar was recruited specifically to carry out the attack, or whether he carried it out unprompted.

Police are now trying to track down members of Jabar’s family to help in their investigation, including an older sister who left Australia for Turkey this week.

media_camera Shooting victim Curtis Cheng (left) pictured with his family. Picture: NSW Police

As details of the incident emerged so did a profile of Jabar, a disaffected teenager of Iraqi-Kurdish heritage, born in Iran. As a 13-year-old, he posted online about his love of American basketball and his support for Team Ricky Martin on reality TV show The Voice.

His social media accounts have been untouched for the past two years.

Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione yesterday described the murder as “politically motivated” and, therefore, linked to terrorism.

media_camera A Channel 9 image from the scene shows the moments after police brought down the shooter.

CCTV cameras mounted on the police headquarters building captured the entire shooting as it unfolded.

The footage showed Jabar arriving outside the building dressed in a black garment or robe, and then pacing up and down the footpath for several minutes, appearing to be building up to the attack.

He is then seen approaching Curtis Cheng, a 58-year-old accountant working in the police Finance and Business Services division.

media_camera Firefighters clean away the bloodstained footpath today. Picture: Adam Yip

Mr Cheng, a much-loved police worker for 17 years, had just left work at 4.30pm and was preparing to go home for the weekend.

Investigators believe Mr Cheng was chosen at random by Jabar.

The CCTV footage shows Jabar approaching the married father-of-two from behind and gunning him down without warning. In the moments following, witnesses told police they heard him shouting “Allah, Allah”.

He then waved his gun in various directions, indiscriminately firing towards the police building, attempting to draw attention to himself.

media_camera A bullet hole in the wall of the Parramatta Police Headquarters. Picture: Adam Yip

Hearing the sound of the gunfire, three special constables seated inside the building ran outside.

The youth opened fire on the officers, who took cover behind a wall.

One officer then emerged from his position and, from several metres away, engaged Jabar and shot several rounds, pinning him down beside a wheelchair access ramp leading up to the police HQ. The special constable is likely to be nominated for a bravery award, having taken on the threat while coming under fire.

media_camera Parramatta: How the attack played out

As news of the incident began to hit the news, Jabar’s older brother phoned police, telling them he believed his sibling may have been responsible for the attack. Earlier he had been at Parramatta mosque on Marsden St, a 15-minute walk from the scene of the shooting.

Mosque chairman Neil El-Kadomi said he’d been approached by police with a photograph of the youth.

“We don’t accept what he did,” Mr El-Kadomi said. He said the mosque had been the subject of threats, prompting detectives to return there yesterday.

A neighbour at a unit on Buller St in North Parramatta said police had been to the property on Friday night. There was no one at the address yesterday.

How teen minds are twisted

By Ben Pike

SOCIALLY shy, easily manipulated, not the brightest spark and surrounded by predatory older men. This is the world of radicalised teens.

RMIT university psychologist and Adjunct Professor Dr Helen McGrath said teenage boys who are attracted to the notion of jihad are often separated from mainstream life at an early age.

There is at least one older man who treats them as if they are a mature adult.

Witness films scene around the time of Parramatta shooting Witness footage captures scene around the time of the incident. Courtesy: Facebook/Edwin Almeida.

Prof McGrath said the older person “stresses the hero aspect” of committing a violent act by suggesting they can become somebody ­important who can do things other people can’t.

“Quite often the boys are not in communities where they can find other opportunities to star, if you like, on sporting fields,” she said.

“That combination of being treated like an adult, coupled with the promise that you are going to be someone spectacularly important, is ­extremely seductive.”

Although they are often ­socially isolated, Prof McGrath said some radicalised teens can gain increased status among their family and friends if they are seen as being chosen for something special.

But she added that despite their age they still need to be held accountable.

“By the time they are 15, ­although their youth should be taken into account, they are nonetheless still capable of making a moral decision,” she said.

“They are normally less ­intellectually bright. I’m not saying they are stupid, but they are not necessarily the sharpest thinkers.

“The kind of kids who are sharper will think to themselves, ‘there is something wrong with this picture’.”

media_camera A bullet hole in an apartment building across from the Parramatta Police Headquarters. Picture: Adam Yip

media_camera Forensic investigators dust for clues outside Parramatta Police Headquarters on Saturday after Farhad Khalil Mohammad Jabar, 15, shot dead police staffer Curtis Cheng, 58, on Friday afternoon. Picture: Adam Yip

Police try to uncover origin of weapon

By Yoni Bashir

THE gun used by Farhad Khalil Mohammad Jabar during Friday’s terror attack was an older-style weapon, capable of holding at least six shots, and is currently being analysed by detectives to establish its ­origin.

But counterterrorism investigators, along with homicide detectives, are working towards establishing another pressing unknown: Just how did a 15-year-old boy come into possession of the gun in the first place?

media_camera Police on Saturday talk to locals who may have witnessed the attack outside Parramatta Police Headquarters. Picture: Adam Yip

Sourcing a firearm in Sydney can be a costly and difficult venture, requiring knowledge of the right people to ask and enough funds to purchase the weapon.

While an adult might have any easier time procuring a firearm, the likelihood of a 15-year-old being able to do the same is not as high, an official said.

One question detectives are asking themselves is whether the gun was supplied to the youth, or whether he may have happened upon it through theft, or some other means.

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As it appears to be an older weapon, it is possible the gun has been in circulation for some time on the “grey market”, an official said, referring to legal firearms that, for several reasons, were not surrendered during gun buybacks.

Similar questions were asked by investigators about the weapon used by Man Horan Monis in the aftermath of the Lindt Cafe siege in Martin Place last year.

While the history of that weapon was established, an ­inquest into the matter ­recently heard there was no ­record of the weapon ever being imported into Australia.

LISTEN TO POLICE COMMISSIONER SCIPIONE’S STATEMENT

NSW Police Commissioner addresses the media regarding Parramatta shooting NSW Police Commissioner, Andrew Scipione addresses the media following the shooting outside Police Headquarters in Parramatta.

media_camera Flowers and a card left by Merrylands police outside the Parramatta Police Headquarters. Picture: Adam Yip

Anyone with information regarding the attack is urged to call Crime Stoppers on 1300 333 000.

The NSW Police Association and NSW Police Legacy have set up an appeal to help the family of slain police accountant Curtis Cheng. Anyone wanting to donate to the appeal can do so via: NSW Police Legacy Appeal BSB: 815 000 Account: 276953