Wieambilla police killers obsessed with guns, father says - BBC

Two Australian men down a shootout that near six dormant were "obsessed" with guns successful their youth, their begetter says.

Nathaniel and Gareth Train, on with Gareth's woman Stacey, were killed by constabulary connected Monday aft they changeable 2 constabulary officers and a neighbour.

Police are investigating whether they acceptable an ambush astatine the distant property, and their links to conspiracy theories.

On Thursday Home Affairs Minister Clare O'Neil said radicalisation was apt to person played a role.

"Radicalisation is not new. But... conspiracy theories, disinformation and misinformation - problems arsenic aged arsenic clip - are being turbocharged by exertion into unspeakable acts of violence," she told parliament.

"They are presenting a caller benignant of menace to our nationalist security."

Speaking for the archetypal clip since the shooting, Ronald Train said his sons were not "monsters" but had "completely mislaid their mode successful life" since cutting disconnected their household 20 years ago.

In an exclusive interrogation with section tv programme A Current Affair, Mr Train said the brace had agelong shown an involvement successful weapons.

"Gareth successful peculiar was obsessed... Nathaniel to a lesser degree," helium said.

He described Gareth - the older of the 2 brothers - arsenic a "difficult" kid who was "very volatile [and] precise controlling", but said helium couldn't fathom however his sons had travel to beryllium progressive successful specified a "horrific" incident.

"I conscionable could not recognize however thing similar this could person occurred with 2 children who had been raised… with definite beliefs, Christian beliefs," Mr Train said.

He besides spoke of his astonishment astatine learning Stacey Train, 45, had near her archetypal hubby and the begetter of her children - Nathaniel, 46 - for his member Gareth, 47.

Police person said the trio utilized "many weapons", but are yet to uncover what benignant oregon a motive for the attack.

Officers were astatine the spot successful Wieambilla - 270km (168 miles) westbound of Brisbane - searching for Nathaniel Train, who had been reported missing, erstwhile they were fired upon astir 16:30 connected Monday.

Two constables - Matthew Arnold and Rachel McCrow - were killed. They were deed instantly past changeable again "execution-style", the Queensland Police Union caput claims.

A 3rd serviceman was changeable and injured, but escaped, and the 4th faced an hours-long ordeal arsenic the suspects attempted to hunt her down, lighting fires to effort and flush her out.

At immoderate constituent 58-year-old Alan Dare, a neighbour acrophobic a location was connected fire, turned up astatine the spot and was killed by the suspects too.

Several media outlets reported that Gareth Train appeared to person contributed often to online forums which promoted conspiracy theories. In posts helium had expressed a distrust of constabulary and wrongly claimed the country's deadliest wide shooting was a authorities ploy to disarm Australians, The Guardian reported.

Australia volition person to face "deep and important argumentation questions" successful the aftermath of the shooting, Ms O'Neil said, but "today is simply a time for grieving".

Local MP and Nationals Party Leader David Littleproud, who grew up successful a municipality adjacent the scene, said the shooting had rocked his assemblage "to its core".

The slain officers were "young radical serving their assemblage - a affluent and afloat beingness up of them", Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said, and Mr Dare was an "innocent Australian who paid for his kindness and interest with his life".