World News – AU – Man shot dead on Brisbane freeway in connection with double homicide terrorist attack

The SA Prime Minister says he will not close the border with NSW, but restrictions are likely to be imposed on anyone who has been to Sydney’s northern beaches

A young man who was shot dead by police yesterday on the Logan Highway has been « directly » linked to the double homicide of an elderly couple. Officials describe the incident as a « terrorist incident, » according to Queensland police.

The bodies of Maurice and Zoe Antill, both in their 80s, were found yesterday afternoon in a house in the southern suburb of Brisbane, Parkinson.

Yesterday morning, 22-year-old Raghe Mohamed Abdi was fatally shot by police on the Logan Highway not far from Parkinson’s after allegedly threatening officers with a knife.

Queensland Police Department deputy commissioner Tracy Linford said further forensic investigation of the two scenes revealed they were linked.

« There was one item on Mr. Abdi that we believe came from the address of the late elderly couple, and we are also investigating items that were at their address that were believed to be possibly Mr. Belong to Abdi, « she said.

« At this point in time nothing has been revealed other than that other people were involved in the terrorist attack. « 

It is not yet known how, if at all, Mr Abdi and the Antilles knew each other.

The police are knocking on the door today and have asked anyone with a family in the area to report to them.

The Australian Federal Police said yesterday that he had been « influenced » by the Islamic State and was prevented from leaving Brisbane International Airport for Somalia in 2019.

Although he was not charged with counterterrorism crimes, he was bailed for minor offenses for fraudulent legal proceedings and refusing to give his passcode on his cellphone.

He was also fitted with a GPS tracking device that he allegedly removed the night before the incident.

« We have tried to contact him on previous occasions to see if we can support him, » said Deputy Commissioner Linford.

« When you put all of these things together, I think it’s pretty clear that we need to treat this as a terrorist incident.

« We don’t want anyone to be killed by the police, but unfortunately there are times when the police are forced to use lethal force and yesterday was one of those occasions. « 

Scott Lee, Assistant Commissioner for the Australian Federal Police, said today police did not believe the Queensland community was still threatened and that Mr Abdi acted alone.

« We don’t think the Queensland community is still threatened, nor do we think anyone else is involved, » he said.

A neighbor told ABC that she knocked on the couple’s door yesterday when she heard their dog bark, but no one answered.

She said she was devastated and couldn’t understand why anyone would want to hurt the couple.

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AEST = Australian Eastern Standard Time, 10 hours before GMT (Greenwich Mean Time)

Logan Highway, Terrorism, Queensland Police Service, Brisbane