Rumors swirled on Tuesday about the identity of a young man shot dead by Australian police in Melbourne. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation now reports:

The 18-year-old who was shot dead in Melbourne after stabbing two anti-terrorism officers was researching Prime Minister Tony Abbott’s travel plans, the ABC understands.
Abdul Numan Haider was a “person of interest” who police had been investigating for three months before the incident on Tuesday night outside the Endeavour Hills police station.
The ABC understands Haider did not make a direct threat against the Prime Minister, but did make specific inquiries about Mr Abbott’s plans to visit Melbourne.

According to the ABC, Haider had also planned a trip to Iraq and Syria, and posted to Facebook a photo of himself holding the flag of the Islamic State. Australian authorities say that he had ties to the jihadist group Al-Furqan.

Haider, whose family is from Afghanistan, stabbed two law-enforcement officers — one from the Australian federal police (AFP), one from the Victoria police — at the Endeavour Hills police station in Melbourne on Tuesday night (AEST). The AFP officer, stabbed multiple times in the face, neck, and abdomen, is reportedly in serious but stable condition following surgery.