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2015 Parramatta shooting

SOLVED2015NSW Police Force Headquarters (now Curtis Cheng Centre), Parramatta3 SOURCESUPDATED JUL 2026
Illustrative

On 2 October 2015, a 15-year-old boy, Farhad Khalil Mohammad Jabar, carried a Smith & Wesson .38 revolver to the street outside New South Wales Police Force headquarters in Parramatta, Sydney. At around 4:30 p.m., he shot and killed 58-year-old Curtis Cheng, an unarmed police civilian finance worker, as Cheng was leaving the building. Jabar remained at the scene, continuing to fire into the headquarters, before being shot dead by one of three special constables who responded. NSW Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione described the killing as a politically motivated act of terrorism, a characterisation echoed by Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.

In the days before the shooting, police reported increased "chatter" about a potential attack and had circulated an alert instructing officers to carry firearms at all times. Jabar, an Iranian-born boy of Iraqi Kurdish background living in North Parramatta and a Year 10 student at Arthur Phillip High School, was not previously known to police. He had visited a local mosque shortly before the attack, where he heard a lecture by the extremist group Hizb ut-Tahrir; a separate report suggested he had also visited a venue associated with the views of Feiz Mohammad. Classmates described him as quiet and solitary; neighbours called him "normal." His motivations remained under investigation, though authorities suspected ideological, religious, or political influence.

In the aftermath, Jabar's older sister, Shadi Jabar Khalil Mohammad, was reported to have left Australia for Syria around the time of the attack; she was later reported killed in a US airstrike in Al-Bab, Syria, in April 2016. Curtis Cheng's funeral was held at St Mary's Cathedral, Sydney, on 17 October 2015, attended by about 1,500 mourners. NSW Police Headquarters was later renamed the Curtis Cheng Centre in his honour.

Police investigations led to terrorism-related charges against four men. Talal Alameddine was charged with supplying the firearm and related offences; he pleaded guilty to possession of the revolver in connection with preparation for a terrorist act, recklessness as to that connection, supplying the revolver to Raban Alou, and breaching a firearm prohibition order twice, and was sentenced in May 2018 to 17 years and 8 months' imprisonment with a non-parole period of 13½ years. Raban Alou pleaded guilty to aiding, abetting, counselling and procuring the commission of a terrorist act and was sentenced to 44 years in prison. Milad Atai was charged in April 2016 with providing support to a terrorist organisation, in connection with the travel of Jabar's sister to Syria, and was later charged with planning the attack; in November 2018 he was found guilty of assisting and encouraging Jabar to shoot Cheng and helping Jabar's sister reach Islamic State-held territory in Syria, and was sentenced to 38 years' imprisonment with a non-parole period of 28½ years. A fourth man was also charged with terrorism-related offences.

Reactions included condemnation of the attack from Muslim community leaders, calls for legal changes to allow control orders on people aged 14 and over, and commentary from the Grand Mufti of Australia and the Australian Federal Police regarding media coverage of the incident.

Key facts

Victims
Curtis Cheng
Date
2015
Location
NSW Police Force Headquarters (now Curtis Cheng Centre), Parramatta
Case status
solved

Case timeline

  1. 2015-10-02

    Farhad Khalil Mohammad Jabar shot and killed Curtis Cheng outside NSW Police Headquarters in Parramatta and was shot dead by special constables.

  2. 2015-10-04

    Police raided the Parramatta mosque that Jabar had reportedly attended.

  3. 2015-10-06

    Police arrested another student for allegedly posting material online in support of the shooting.

  4. 2015-10-07

    Counter-terrorism police raided four homes near Parramatta and arrested four males; three were later released.

  5. 2015-10-13

    NSW government requested legal changes to allow control orders on people aged 14 and over; interfaith 'National Day of Unity' press conference held.

  6. 2015-10-15

    Talal Alameddine was re-arrested and charged with supplying a firearm, breaching a firearms prohibition order, and hindering police.

  7. 2015-10-17

    Curtis Cheng's funeral was held at St Mary's Cathedral, Sydney.

  8. 2016-01

    New charges of being members of a terrorist group were laid against three men in connection with Cheng's murder.

  9. 2016-04-22

    Shadi Jabar Khalil Mohammad, Farhad Jabar's sister, was reportedly killed by a US airstrike in Al-Bab, near Aleppo, Syria.

  10. 2016-04-27

    Milad Atai was charged in relation to the shooting, including providing support to a terrorist organisation.

  11. 2016

    NSW Police Headquarters was renamed the Curtis Cheng Centre in honor of the victim.

  12. 2018-03

    Raban Alou was convicted of terrorism offences.

  13. 2018-05

    Talal Alameddine was sentenced to 17 years and 8 months' imprisonment with a non-parole period of 13½ years.

  14. 2018-11-23

    Milad Atai was found guilty of assisting and encouraging Jabar's attack and helping Jabar's sister reach Syria, and was sentenced to 38 years' imprisonment with a non-parole period of 28½ years.

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People

  • Milad Atai

    CONVICTED

    Charged in April 2016 with providing support to a terrorist organisation and later with planning the attack; found guilty in November 2018 of assisting and encouraging the shooting and helping Jabar's sister reach Syria, sentenced to 38 years with a 28½-year non-parole period.

  • Talal Alameddine

    CONVICTED

    Pleaded guilty to possession and supply of the firearm used in the attack in connection with preparation for a terrorist act, and breaching a firearm prohibition order; sentenced in May 2018 to 17 years, 8 months with a 13½-year non-parole period.

  • Farhad Khalil Mohammad Jabar

    CHARGED

    15-year-old identified as the shooter who killed Curtis Cheng; shot dead at the scene by special constables and never tried.

  • Raban Alou

    CONVICTED

    Convicted of terrorism offences in March 2018; pleaded guilty to aiding, abetting, counselling and procuring the commission of a terrorist act and was sentenced to 44 years in prison.

  • Curtis Cheng

    VICTIM

    58-year-old unarmed police civilian finance worker shot and killed outside NSW Police Headquarters in Parramatta on 2 October 2015.

  • Andrew Scipione

    LAW ENFORCEMENT

    NSW Police Commissioner who described the shooting as a politically motivated act of terrorism.

Roles reflect public records and court outcomes at the time of writing — supporting citations are on file under Sources.

Places

NSW Police Force Headquarters (now Curtis Cheng Centre), Parramatta

-33.8172, 151.0085

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Common questions

What happened to the victim?
On 2 October 2015, 15-year-old Farhad Khalil Mohammad Jabar shot and killed unarmed police civilian finance worker Curtis Cheng outside NSW Police Headquarters in Parramatta, Sydney, before being shot dead by special constables. Four other men were later charged in connection with the attack, which authorities described as an act of terrorism.
Where did the shooting happen?
NSW Police Force Headquarters (now Curtis Cheng Centre), Parramatta.
Who was convicted?
Milad Atai (Charged in April 2016 with providing support to a terrorist organisation and later with planning the attack; found guilty in November 2018 of assisting and encouraging the shooting and helping Jabar's sister reach Syria, sentenced to 38 years with a 28½-year non-parole period.), Talal Alameddine (Pleaded guilty to possession and supply of the firearm used in the attack in connection with preparation for a terrorist act, and breaching a firearm prohibition order; sentenced in May 2018 to 17 years, 8 months with a 13½-year non-parole period.), and Raban Alou (Convicted of terrorism offences in March 2018; pleaded guilty to aiding, abetting, counselling and procuring the commission of a terrorist act and was sentenced to 44 years in prison.).
What is the current status of the case?
Status: solved.
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Sources

  1. 2015 Parramatta shootingwikipedia · Wikipedia · 2026-07-07
  2. Contemporaneous coverage — ABC News (Australia)news · ABC News (Australia) · 2026-07-07
  3. Contemporaneous coverage — The Sydney Morning Heraldnews · The Sydney Morning Herald · 2026-07-07