At least one of the trio who executed two police officers and a neighbour in rural Queensland allegedly took part in a secret conspiracy theorist online group.
Gareth Train, his wife Stacey and brother Nathaniel, were killed by specialist police on Monday afternoon after they rained bullets down on four police officers who were carrying out a missing person’s inquiry.
Constable Rachel McCrow, 29, and Constable Matthew Arnold, 26, were killed “execution-style” at the property in Wieambilla, about three hours west of Brisbane.
A neighbour, Alan Dare, 58, was also shot and killed by the trio after he came over to investigate the situation.
Within hours of the news breaking, attention had turned to Gareth, who had been an active member of a number of conspiracy theory websites.
His bizarre beliefs included that the 1996 Port Arthur massacre was a “false flag operation”, that the government was running “re-education camps” and that Princess Diana’s death was a “blood sacrifice”, as well as an opposition to vaccines and Covid lockdowns and support for the sovereign citizen movement.
Now, it has been revealed that at least one of the brothers allegedly interacted with an anti-vax conspiracy theory group, where members were encouraged to share and discuss their views on a range of controversial topics.
While there is no evidence to suggest any member of the group was involved in the events at Wieambilla, the telegram is run by David Oneeglio, a major Australian conspiracy “influencer” who gained a following after emerging as one of the major anti-vaccine, anti-government and anti-lockdown voices during the pandemic.
Gareth even referenced Oneeglio in an anti-lockdown article he wrote for online conspiracy site, Cairns News.
The article was titled: “Sydney Freedom Rally video shows one million voters who have had enough – w2e at war – features Ricado Bosi and Dave Oneeg”.
Do you know more? alexandra.foster@news.com.au
The female shooter and Gareth’s wife, Stacey Train, also held anti-vaccination beliefs that saw her quit her job as a head of curriculum at a nearby school in December last year.
Unsettling screenshots of conversations being had inside this telegram group show participants sympathising with the Train trio and even praising the cold-blooded killing of Constable McCrow and Constable Arnold.
Commenters also referenced the gunmen being in the “fold” of the community.
One of the most disturbing comments came under a post from Oneeglio asking how his followers were “feeling”, after sharing a photo with the phrase: “When war is declared, truth is the first casualty.”
“How is everyone feeling? I feel flat and unsettled. Something feels very ‘wrong’ on some level today. Please share a comment below,” he wrote under the image.
One follower replied to this comment, urging others in the group to “take up arms” just like Nathaniel and his brother had.
“It feels very strange today. One of our fold has finally carried out their promise to make a difference. It will make a difference,” they wrote.
“They can’t keep suppressing us forever. Time to take up arms like our brother Nate.”
In other posts, commenters referred to one of the Train brothers as a “modern day Ned Kelly”, warning the “same thing might happen” if police officers tried to come onto their land.
“I think the media will be pretty shocked that a lot of Aussies might side with the gunmen after what has been going on these last two years,” they continued.
Under another one of Oneeglio’s posts about police brutality and conspiracy theorists being a “peaceful” people, a commenter claimed they needed to “rise up” against the government.
“We need to rise up you fool! No just men either, all of us! Our Govts are trying to kill us! And you want us to be civil and submissive to the authorities?” they wrote.
Under a post from Oneeglio sharing some of the conspiracy theorist writings published by Gareth Train, a commenter claimed the shooter was “definitely one of us”.
“He wrote what most here believe. Train is definitely one of us,” they said.
Without endorsing individual comments, Oneeglio defended the right for commentators to speak out. At one point, Oneeglio claimed it was none of his “business” who followed his channel.
“It’s out of my hands. Because someone follows this channel is none of my business. I’m not the thought police,” he wrote.
“If I was scared of sharing the truth I would have stopped a long time ago.”
Many other shameful comments that repeatedly appear in the chat falsely claim the killing was a “staged hoax”.
Others suggested that the reason Gareth’s brother, Nathaniel, decided to ambush two police officers was because he had suffered repercussions from a “forced vaccine”.
“What’s the bet that the principal’s heart attack was due to his forced vaccine mandate compliance, and that after the fact he went eyes fully opened and became enraged about his treatment?” one group member said.
“Some people are going to go properly mad when the penny drops.”
Nathaniel suffered a heart attack last year while working as a principal at a NSW school, after which he never returned.
In another post, Oneeglio claimed that every “Australian man and woman”, politician and police officer must be “willing and allowed to ask the tough questions on any topic”.
“Without being labelled as ‘dangerous and unhinged’,” he added.
Sharing a picture of a headline referencing Gareth’s conspiracy theories, Oneeglio wrote another post claiming a number of people had predicted the gunmen would be “painted as far right extremists”.
“Well there you have it,” he said, before adding that he wasn’t trying to claim the story was “fabricated”.
“What I am saying is that no tragedy or crisis is allowed to go to waste and the war on conservatives continues,” he said.
“Maybe the gunmen were far right. Maybe they were not.
“We have every right to question the media apparatuses that has the blood of all the vaccine injured and dead on their hands.”
When one commenter noted they were “surprised this channel is still here”, Oneeglio jumped in claiming “we haven’t done anything wrong”.
Police have now revealed that the Train trio had a “sophisticated surveillance network” set up at their property when they ambushed four police officers.
Union boss Ian Leavers told NCA NewsWire after an inspection of the scene it was clear a “plan was put in place” to execute the horrendous attack before it happened.
“There was a sophisticated surveillance network which was put into place with plans and preparations by this ruthless murderous trio with a plan to murder police,” Mr Leaver told NCA NewsWire.
“This (plan) was put in place to lure police in … to maim or murder them.“There was certainly preparations and plans put in place that if police were to attend that address, that harm would come to them – which is exactly what has occurred.