Keep tabs on your kids: PM

Turnbull advice comes after fatal shooting of police worker by radicalised teenager

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull says it’s too early to say whether the 15-year-old who shot dead a Sydney police worker was acting as a “lone wolf”.

As the Government and Muslim communities try to work together to stop the radicalisation of youths, Turnbull has asked parents to keep tabs on what their children are up to, to avoid exposure to recruitment by groups like Isis (Islamic State).

The plea comes after Friday’s shooting death of police finance staffer Curtis Cheng, 58, by Farhad Jabar Khalil Mohammad, 15, as he left the force’s Parramatta headquarters.

The teen was then shot dead by special constables.

Turnbull said it was too early to say whether the boy acted alone — outside a terrorist group command structure. “We all need to be aware of the way in which radicalisation can occur. Communities at every level — families — should be aware of what young people are doing, what influences are impacting on young people,” he said yesterday.

Community leader Dr Jamal Rifi tion found to be fomenting this dangerous, crazy rubbish, which is preying upon teenagers with such dreadful, tragic consequences. These organisations preying upon young people are a sort of political or a terrorist version of pedophiles who prey upon young people.”

New South Wales Labor MP Jihad Dib said it was time to start looking at disengagement factors. “Kids have always had a history of being disengaged . . . but not to this extent. We’ve got to find ways to stop them. There’s got to be an intervention.”

Radical Islamic group Hizb utTahrir has denied links to the teen.

It’s been reported that he attended a lecture by the group at Parramatta Mosque on Friday. But Hizb ut-Tahrir says it held no lectures that day and labelled claims the teen was affiliated with the group as “groundless and absurd”.

“Hizb ut-Tahrir’s position on the use of violence as a means for political change or expressing political grievance is also extremely well known,” the group told AAP. “Actions like the Parramatta shooting are plainly wrong.”