Police to be seen at 18 NT Catholic schools as Darwin teen terror investigation widens

Parents at Catholic schools across the Northern Territory may see uniformed police at the school gate this week. It is the most visible sign yet of a counter-terrorism investigation that has led to charges against two Darwin teenagers in a week.

Catholic Education NT director Paul Greaves emailed families and carers at the system’s 18 Territory schools on Friday afternoon, hours before pick-up. The letter said that in some circumstances families may notice “an increased uniformed police presence” around their school, and that this was not a response to “a specific or imminent threat”.

It said Catholic Education NT had helped police since the investigation began, that safeguarding measures were in place, and urged families not to speculate about the allegations, the identities or the motives of anyone involved.

Mr Greaves said the letter went to every school so that families would not be left guessing. He said officers would not be patrolling schools, but might be driving past or coming in to gather evidence.

Who has been charged, and with what?

The investigation is run by the Joint Counter Terrorism Team Northern Territory, made up of the AFP, NT Police and ASIO. It began in October after Crime Stoppers received a tip about violent extremist material posted online.

The first teenager, a Darwin boy, was charged after search warrants were executed on 28 October. The AFP alleges he ran several social media channels where he accessed, discussed and reposted violent extremist material, and that his devices held instructions for making 3D-printed firearms. He is charged with collecting or making documents likely to facilitate terrorist acts, possessing violent extremist material obtained using a carriage service, and possessing firearms and explosives manufacturing material obtained using a carriage service.

The second, a Darwin girl, appeared in the NT Youth Justice Court on Wednesday 4 November charged with collecting or making documents likely to facilitate terrorist acts. Police searched a Darwin home on 3 November and seized clothing, documents, electronic devices and prohibited weapons, the AFP said.

The AFP alleges an initial examination found material and online discussions showing a “mixed ideological motivation”, including glorification of mass casualty attacks at schools. These are allegations that have not been tested in court, and both teenagers are presumed innocent.

Is there a threat to schools?

Police say no. NT Police Commissioner Martin Dole said authorities had acted quickly after the first tip-off, and that at no point were they aware of any real threat to safety. “People should be alert, not alarmed,” he said when the second charge was announced.

AFP Acting Assistant Commissioner Adam Rice said on Wednesday that “a number of schools” had been identified as part of the investigation. No school has been named, and Catholic Education NT has not said whether any of its schools is among them.

Why does uniformed police on campus worry some people?

Not everyone is comfortable with the move. Lindon Coombes of the Jumbunna Institute warned that uniformed police could alarm some First Nations students, and George Newhouse of the National Justice Project said any extra police presence should be kept under review. Darwin’s Catholic Bishop Charles Gauci called for calm and said social media literacy was key to reducing radicalisation among young people.

How big is the youth radicalisation problem?

The Darwin cases are part of a national pattern that police chiefs have been warning about for two years. AFP research on 55 counter-terrorism cases involving boys aged 12 to 17 between 2020 and 2025 found every one had been radicalised wholly or partly online. Investigators increasingly see young people with mixed or shallow beliefs rather than one clear ideology, which is exactly what is alleged in Darwin.

AFP Commissioner Krissy Barrett said this week that technology means it now “takes a country to keep them safe”, and that police cannot solve the problem alone.

For parents, police point to warning signs such as a child withdrawing from friends and family or becoming fixated on conspiracy theories. Concerns can be reported to the National Security Hotline on 1800 123 400, or anonymously to Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000. Anyone in immediate danger should call 000.