Man charged at Sydney Opera House with threatening property

SYDNEY, Australia — An 18-year-old man arrested outside the Sydney Opera House after allegedly telling security guards he was under instructions to carry out an attack by the Islamic State group was ordered by a court on Friday to undergo a psychiatric assessment.

Counterterrorism investigators charged the teen with threatening to destroy property after New South Wales police said the teen was stopped by guards outside the Opera House on Thursday. Police say the teen was carrying two canisters of automotive fluid and told the guards he had been instructed to carry out an attack by the Islamic State group.

His arrest came days after the Islamic State movement urged followers to stab, shoot, poison and run over Australians at iconic locations including the Opera House.

The teen appeared in a Sydney court on Friday, where the judge ordered him to undergo a psychiatric assessment.

The teen’s lawyer, Pierre de Dassel, told the court that his client had previously been assessed by a psychologist and that his caseworkers had become concerned his mental health was declining after noticing he appeared to be laughing and talking to himself.

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“I believe I have to go to doctors because I’m not acting like myself,” the teen told Central Local Court Magistrate Les Mabbutt.

He faces a potential sentence of five years in prison if convicted.

The Associated Press