A 19-year-old man from the Gold Coast, Queensland, has been charged with sharing violent extremist material online. This follows a raid conducted by multiple law enforcement agencies. The man is scheduled to appear in Southport Magistrates Court on Friday, facing five charges related to the alleged distribution of extremist content to friends and family between January 2024 and April 2025.

Authorities, including the Australian Federal Police (AFP), the Queensland Joint Counter Terrorism Team, and the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, executed a search warrant at the man's residence on Thursday. During the search, they seized electronic devices that reportedly contained violent extremist material.

This was not the first search of the property. In April, investigators had previously searched the same home, where they confiscated two mobile phones, a laptop, and a handwritten diary. After conducting forensic analysis on these devices, police discovered videos depicting violence and propaganda linked to a designated terrorist organization. However, the AFP has not disclosed the name of the organization associated with the material.

The charges against the Pacific Pines resident include four counts of using a carriage service to transmit violent extremist material and one count of possessing or controlling such material. Each charge carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison.

AFP Assistant Commissioner Stephen Nutt expressed concern over the increasing availability of violent extremist content accessible to young Australians. He emphasized the need for collaboration among parents, schools, health and social services, and technology companies to prevent access to and consumption of such material online. Nutt stated, "We cannot emphasise enough the importance of... spotting the early signs of radicalisation."