Australia Working to Confirm Suicide Bombing Death of Teen Recruited by Islamic State
The Australian government is investigating the alleged suicide bombing death of a teen recruited by the Islamic State who also had plans to carry out terrorist attacks at multiple sites in Melbourne.
The Islamic State said in a statement this week that 18-year-old Jake Bilardi, who allegedly departed Melbourne last year to join the Islamic State in Iraq, was one of many Islamic militants who carried out suicide bombing attacks on the Iraqi city of Ramadi on Thursday.
Although the Islamic State has suggested the teen was apart of the terrorist attacks carried out Thursday, Australia's government is still working to confirm the claims by the terrorist organization.
An image released by the Islamic State shows the teenager sitting in a white van frequently used for suicide bombings with the caption: "may Allah accept him."
"I can confirm that the Australian government is currently seeking to independently verify reports that 18-year-old Melbourne teenager Jake Bilardi has been killed in a suicide bombing attack in the Middle East," Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said in a statement to CNN on Thursday.
"If these reports are confirmed, this is another tragic example of a young Australian being lured to a senseless and violent death by a brutal terrorist organization that is intent on imposing suffering and misery not only in Iraq and Syria but beyond," Bishop added.
Police are now investigating blog posts written under the name Abu Abdullah Al-Australi, believed to be Bilardi, that indicated the teenager was plotting multiple bombing attacks in Melbourne, including attacks on political buildings and shopping centers.
