Dark history of cop-killing brothers revealed
One of the brothers involved in the shooting deaths of two young police officers and a concerned neighbour in rural Queensland appears to have been an active conspiracy theorist online.
Brothers Nathaniel and Gareth Train died in a gunfight with heavily armed police at their Wieambilla property in the Western Downs on Monday night.
The pair, along with Nathaniel's wife Stacey, ambushed and shot dead constables Matthew Arnold, 26, and Rachel McCrow, 29, and their 58-year-old neighbour Alan Dare before the trio was killed.
NSW Police last week launched a public appeal to find Nathaniel Train, 46, a former school principal who was last seen at his Dubbo home on December 16, 2021 and lost contact with family in October before he was reported missing on December 4.
Four young officers had visited the home at the request of NSW Police, two of whom survived the shooting in which Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll said was a "miracle".
Host of conspiracy theories discovered online
A series of posts under the name of Gareth Train appear on conspiracy theory forums and include references to anti-vaccine sentiments and claims high-profile shootings were hoaxes or false-flag operations, including the Port Arthur massacre.
One post said Princess Diana was killed in a ‘blood sacrifice’.
Another refers to "black op police'' and urges people to prepare themselves.
"Has reading anything from the 1901 constitution or quoting common law to the black op police with the guns helped anyone in Victoria and their rights," a post from a user named Gareth Train said.
The handle also expressed disdain for police, referencing Victoria Police's operations during the pandemic, The Courier Mail reported.
In the wake of the revelations of Mr Train's alleged online activity, extremism expert Dr Ben Rich at Curtin University said it was clear Australia must focus more on preventing such tragedies.
“The tragedy in Queensland shows that Australia is not immune to the challenges posed by conspiracy-linked violent extremism and emphasises our need to continue to build community resilience against this growing threat," he said.
School principal's downward spiral
Nathaniel Train worked as executive principal at Walgett Community College Primary School, but the NSW Education Department said he hadn't been employed in the state's education system since August 2021 and he officially left employment in March. The ABC reports he was dismissed from his last role and had reportedly been unhappy being told to get vaccinated.
While at the school in northern NSW, he sent 16 emails over two weeks about problems there and the need for assistance, state parliament heard in May.
Sources told AAP that Nathaniel Train had been living off the grid after leaving his teaching position before heading to his 47-year-old brother's home in Queensland.
Brothers' father speaks
The men's father Ronald Train told reporters outside his South Toowoomba home he had nothing else to share after speaking with police.
"You can speculate and make up as much as you want,” he said. “I have lost two children."
With AAP
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