Next-Level Groomers

Steyn Online ^ | 22 Dec 2025 | Mark Steyn

[Rummyfan]

This is the story of "Thomas Carrick" - not his real name but the moniker assigned him by Australian authorities. He is, in fact, Muslim - so "Thomas Carrick" is what he'll be called in the award-winning Netflix adaptation, where he'll be played by Macaulay Culkin's grandson. The real Islamic "Thomas" is a low-IQ autistic boy in the state of Victoria, and his parents noticed that he'd begun taking an interest in Isis. So they went to the local police station and informed the Victorian constabulary to see if the coppers could do anything to help.

What they did to help was to pass on the info to the Australian Federal Police, which is the Lucky Country's equivalent of, broadly, the FBI. So, when the Murdoch bleepwits say "Thomas" was "allegedly groomed by undercover police", that means the AFP, like the South Yorkshire plods, enjoy having sex with children?

Apparently not. "Thomas" was contacted by two members of the "Overt-Covert" end of the Joint Counter Terrorism Team, one posing as an Oz-based Isis chappie, the other as a more hardcore member overseas - although possibly the same person, the Rich Little of the AFP. At any rate, one of them, "Khalid", suggests to "Thomas" that he would "make a good sniper or suicide bomber".

So that's the sense in which the Australian Federal Police were "grooming" young "Thomas" - they were grooming him to open fire on you. The kid liked these guys, and told his parents one of them was his "best friend".

The lads at Lotus Eaters have more on this - including, for the benefit of Murdoch's bleepwit editors, the head of the AFP acknowledging the allegedly alleged allegations. At the same time, he says he would do the same all over again...

[dangus]

“McCauley Culkin’s GRANDSON.” There was no reason to point that out other than cruelty, LOL!

[GSWarrior]

Don’t worry. Macaulay doesn’t have a grandson, according to the internet.

[unlearner]

“Got that, you losers? You're not important enough to be targeted. You're not a symbol, as Tom is, though a symbol of what he didn't say (suggestions welcome, but try not to spill confectioner's sugar on the postcard).”

Steyn implies Tom DeLay was catering to Big Sugar since Imperial Sugar was located in his home town. I happened to live there in 2001 when 9/11 happened and DeLay’s remarks were made. I was also there when the Imperial operations shut down in 2003.

Sugar Land is a growing Texas town that was once a major source of sugar production, but is now a populous subsection of the Greater Houston Metro (as defined by the census). It's slogan was (and still may be) “Sugar Land, there is no equal.”

DeLay went from small business owner (in pest control) to powerful Congressman, and target of left-wing prosecutorial abuse.

I think DeLay is one of the better representatives we've had in my lifetime, and I think Steyn is mischaracterizing his response to 9/11.

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

No, he was talking about the letters with "White Powder" that were being sent after 9/11 when the anthrax scare was going on.

[If You Want It Fixed - Fix It]

Since he’s muslim, why use a Christian pseudonym...how about muhammad muhamed?

[KarlInOhio]

his parents noticed that he'd begun taking an interest in Isis.

Is he studying the entire ancient Egyptian pantheon of gods or just Isis? Or maybe Steyn meant ISIS as in the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria? There is a big difference between car bombs and mummifying your cat when it dies.