Arabic version: مراهق أُصيب بحروق في هجوم حريق متعمد بتايلورز هيل تلقّى أوامر عبر واتساب

According to ABC News, a 13-year-old boy fighting for life after an alleged firebombing in Melbourne’s north-west received instructions through WhatsApp middlemen using aliases.

The boy was critically injured on Monday morning after two vehicles were set alight on Woolwich Way in Taylors Hill. He was engulfed in flames and taken to hospital with severe burns to his upper and lower body.

ABC News reported that the group was allegedly tasked with targeting the address by middlemen communicating on WhatsApp. After the cars were allegedly set on fire, the trio tried to leave in an allegedly stolen car but crashed seconds later. Two others then ran from the scene, leaving the boy behind.

Two cars were destroyed and the Woolwich Way home was damaged. Police are expected to use phone data in their investigation, which comes after a series of similar incidents across Melbourne over consecutive nights, including vehicle fires in Springvale, Reservoir and Oakleigh East.

Friends of the boy, who attends a secondary school in Melbourne’s northern suburbs, told ABC News they were praying for his survival and described him as caring, loyal and someone who brought laughter and happiness to those around him.