The fatal shooting on Friday of a police worker by a 15-year-old boy in a Sydney suburb is linked to terrorism and "politically motivated," Australian police said.
The boy, who was shot and killed by police, had an Iraqi- Kurdish background and was born in Iran, New South Wales Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione said Saturday in a news conference. The victim, Curtis Cheng, worked in the force's finance department, he said.
"We believe that based on the information we have this was politically motivated," the commissioner said. "If it's politically-motivated violence, then under our definition it is deemed necessarily an act of terrorism."
The incident comes as Australia remains on high alert for attacks, citing threats posed by local supporters of Islamic State militants.
