Extremism expert tells Wieambilla inquest the 'battle arrived' the moment the officers crossed 'the Rubicon' (2024)

Three "radicalised" conspiracy theorists who gunned down two police officers and their neighbour believed they were in a "final battle" as "the end" arrived, a Queensland court has heard.

On December 12, 2022, four officers were ambushed at a Wains Road property at Wieambilla, and a mammoth inquest into the shootings is now in its third week.

Within minutes of arriving at the property to respond to a missing person's report, Constables Rachel McCrow and Matthew Arnold were shot dead by a murderous trio, who lay in wait in carefully constructed and concealed "hideouts".

Two other constables narrowly escaped with their lives, while neighbour to the property, Alan Dare, was also shot and killed when he went to investigate what had happened.

Those responsible — Gareth, Stacey and Nathaniel Train — were later gunned down following a dramatic shootout with police.

Associate professor Josh Roose, an expert in religion, extremism and violence, told the inquest the Trains had committed a terrorist attack, which was motivated by religion.

"They were seeking to kill, and the facts are, they did," he said.

"In the context of that particular act, and in the context of the preparation leading up to it, and the context of their consistent narrative messaging… to the definition, that's an act of terrorism.

"If this was a Salafi-Jihadist case, I don't think we'd be having a lot of these questions asked."

Beliefs revolved around a 'form of apocalypticism'

Professor Roose was asked to comment on the political, religious and ideological influences on the Trains leading up to the shooting.

His 350-page report drew on around 2,500 primary sources, including over 700 emails and text messages, videos the Trains posted online and extensive handwritten notes.

He said the Trains' trajectory to radicalisation was a process split into multiple stages: from Gareth Train's engagement with conspiracy theories online, to doomsday prepping, posting videos threatening to execute police, and attempting to recruit more members.

Professor Roose said the Trains subscribed to the Christian fundamentalist belief system known as pre-millennialism.

"It revolves around a form of apocalypticism," he said

"These revolve around the idea of a final end time.

"The idea, broadly speaking, is that we are in the final stage – the final couple of stages… [before] Jesus returns to establish his kingdom on earth."

A 'particularly important' moment in radicalisation trajectory

Like many belief systems, there are different forms and interpretations of pre-millennialism, the court heard.

The Trains believed there would be a final battle before "the golden age", whereas others interpret it metaphorically.

Professor Roose told the court Gareth Train's connection with an American man online in July 2021 was "particularly important" in the trajectory of radicalisation.

"[He] was someone who not only shared their views but actually encouraged them," he said.

"Donald Day Jr in particular introduced more of a violent framing of the battle to come."

Donald Day Jr, a 58-year-old man from Arizona, was arrested in December 2023, nearly one year on since the Wieambilla shooting, and charged with two counts of making an interstate threat.

Queensland police allege he sent the shooters "Christian end-of-days" ideological messages in the months leading up to the shootings.

Professor Roose said in conversations between the two, "you can see them having that discussion about the return of Christ".

"And then, particularly Gareth, fighting alongside Jesus… to bring about salvation," he said.

Trains were prepared for 'end times'

When "the end" would occur was debated amongst believers, Professor Roose said.

He said Stacey Train spent "hours and hours and hours working out precisely when this was going to occur."

"Both Gareth's material and hers, it's possible to estimate that they [thought they were] about 80 per cent in," he said.

"COVID is a starting point, based on that final timeline, that they were about a couple months off at most [from] hitting the end times."

However, when the police officers crossed their front gate – which the Trains had named 'The Rubicon' – they assumed "their battle had arrived", he said.

"They didn't have a set date, precise date, for the end times, but they were prepared for it," Professor Roose told the court.

"And the moment that 'Rubicon' was crossed… for them, it was a clear delineation.

"They cross that, we're at war."

Professor Roose said the Trains believed they would achieve salvation by killing the "public state actors".

"In their frame, they were fighting a battle against evil. They were attempting to kill the enemy, as they saw it," he said.

The inquest continues.