Nathaniel Train and Stacey Train on their wedding day in 1995. Photo / Channel 9
Nathaniel Train and Stacey Train on their wedding day in 1995. Photo / Channel 9
The Train family believed police were “monsters and demons” causing them to carry out Australia’s first religiously motivated terror attack.
A group of four police officers came under fire by Nathaniel, Gareth and Stacey Train after attending a property in Wieambilla, Queensland, for a welfare check relating to missing NSW principal Nathaniel about 4.40pm local time, on Monday December 12, 2022.
Constable Matthew Arnold, 26, and Constable Rachel McCrow, 29, died in a hail of bullets fired by Train, his brother Gareth and Gareth’s partner Stacey, moments after arriving.
Constable Rachel McCrow, 29, and Constable Matthew Arnold, 26, were shot and killed at a Queensland property. Photo / Facebook
Two other colleagues, Constable Keeley Brough and Constable Randall Kirk, both 28, only narrowly survived the attack, with Brough becoming trapped in burning bushland as the assailants tried to smoke her out.
Neighbour Alan Dare, 56, arrived about 5pm after noticing smoke billowing from the property and is understood to have been fatally shot in the back.
On Thursday, Queensland Police Deputy Commissioner Tracy Linford told media while the investigation into the attack was “far from” complete, exhaustive evidence had been collected.
This included entries to Stacey Train’s diary, texts and emails sent by the trio, social media posts and a whopping 190 statements and recorded interviews. CCTV taken from the property and video from bodycams worn by the four police officers has also been examined.
Links to Christian extremism exposed
Deputy commissioner Linford said investigators had concluded the Train family had “acted as an autonomous cell: to carry out their religiously motivated terrorist attack”.
The investigation found the trio subscribed to the Christian extremist ideology of premillennialism.
“Christian extremist ideology has been linked to other attacks around the world but this is the first time we’ve seen it Australia,” deputy commissioner Linford said.
“We absolutely believe they acted as an autonomous cell, but one of our inquiries is that they did make social media postings and there were people in the US who did monitor those social media postings and make responses to those social media postings.”
The crime scene at Wieambilla, Queensland. Photo / Nine News
Other similar religiously motivated attacks linked to Christian extremist ideologies include the 51-day Waco siege in Texas in 1993.
Deputy commissioner Linford explained the Train family’s “fundamentalist Christian theology” was based on Premillennialism, the belief Jesus will return to the Earth, bringing a lengthy period of peace after a period of trial and tribulation.
Diary entries show extent of planning
The Train family felt the period of turbulence had arrived, based on their beliefs surrounding their distrust in police and state, climate change, the pandemic, global conflicts and social disparity.
“All of the examination of the material, we can’t find any evidence they identify themselves as sovereign citizens,” deputy commissioner Linford said.
Stacey’s diary entries, and other written evidence examined, included multiple references of police being referred to as “monsters and demons”.
“We don’t believe this attack was random or spontaneous, we do believe it was [an] attack directed at police,” deputy commissioner Linford said.
“There’s entries for the last couple of years in (Stacey’s) diary.
“It’s not just one thing, there appears to be a range of catalyst events, for instance Nathaniel experienced a heart attack in August 2021.
“I think that was a profound moment for him and his belief in God, and he’s certainly become more religious as [a] consequence of that event.
Nathaniel (pictured), Gareth and Stacey Train were all previous employees of the Queensland Department of Education. Photo / Supplied
“Certainly Covid was another catalyst for them.
“They certainly had their views around anti-vaccination and a consequence of anti-government sentiment.”
Deputy commissioner Linford said examination of the Wieambilla property found man-made dirt mounds, steel barriers, mirrors on trees, three compound bows and arrows, a number of knives and six firearms.
She said the Train family were using radios to communicate with each other during the attack and even had a trapdoor under the house ready for possible escape.
“I want to stress that there is no evidence at this time that there’s anyone else in Australia that participated or assisted in this attack,” deputy commissioner Linford said.
