Arabic version: الشرطة تحقق في صلة محتملة بالعالم الإجرامي بإطلاق النار من سيارة في غوسنيلز

According to ABC News, Western Australian police are investigating whether a 13-year-old Victorian boy charged over a drive-by shooting at a Gosnells home in suburban Perth was recruited by an underworld organisation. Detectives believe the teenager may have been supplied with a self-loading firearm and directed to pick-up and drop-off locations for the weapon through electronic instructions.

The boy is alleged to have fired more than 20 shots from a semi-automatic rifle into the house at about 12:40am on Saturday. A bedroom window and a wall were hit, and multiple bullet holes were left in the property. Seven people, including children, were inside. One man suffered minor injuries from shattered glass, while no one was seriously hurt. Police do not believe the occupants were the intended targets.

Police arrested the teenager on Monday and charged him with eight offences, including unlawful use of a firearm, endangering life, possession of stolen property and no authority to drive. He is due to reappear in Perth Children’s Court next week. The firearm allegedly used in the incident has not been found, and authorities do not know how the weapon came into the boy’s possession.

Semi-automatic rifles are Category D weapons, which have been outlawed in Western Australia since reforms that followed the 1996 Port Arthur massacre. Only police, the military and certain government agencies can legally use the long-arm weapons in the state. WA Firearm Traders Association president Bevan Steele described the alleged weapon as a highly illicit firearm, while Police Minister Reece Whitby said the allegations involving a 13-year-old and such a weapon were extremely concerning.