Melbourne schoolboy burned in alleged botched arson received orders on WhatsApp
A schoolboy is fighting for life after setting himself alight in a botched alleged arson attack received his orders via WhatsApp, the ABC can reveal.
Vision shows two other people leaving the 13-year-old boy for dead after two vehicles were set alight on Woolwich Way in Taylors Hill, in Melbourne’s north-west, on Monday morning.
The boy remains in a critical condition with severe burns to 90 per cent of his body.
The ABC can reveal the group was tasked with targeting the address by middlemen who had communicated with one another using aliases on WhatsApp in the lead-up to the incident.
After allegedly setting the two cars on fire, the trio had attempted to flee the scene in an allegedly stolen car, but crashed it seconds later.
The two others then ran away, leaving the 13-year-old on fire behind.
Police on Thursday said they had arrested three teenage boys over the incident — two 16-year-olds and a 15-year-old.
They will be interviewed by detectives.
Read more: ABC News (Australia)