Updated
A 17-year-old male has appeared in an Alice Springs court today and two others are being held in connection with the alleged rapes at gunpoint of two European tourists.
The first of the three boys to face court has been charged with a number of offences, including sexual assault, and has been remanded in custody.
His lawyer applied to have the court closed but Magistrate David Bamber dismissed the application.
He suppressed the boy’s name, citing the nature of the offence and the age of the accused. The case has been adjourned until July.
The other two boys, both 17, are being interviewed by Northern Territory Police and are expected to be charged.
Police say the youths attacked the female tourists, aged 21 and 28, while they slept in their vehicle in the central Australian town.
One of the two latest arrests took place in Alice Springs and the other at Hermannsburg, about 120 kilometres west of Alice Springs, where police believe family members were hiding him.
Police say they later found the car allegedly used during the attack.
It was discovered at Hermannsburg, where one of the teens was arrested.
Police say the vehicle had been stolen from a property at Alice Springs on Tuesday night.
Police say the three youths are also investigated for their possible involvement in an attempted armed robbery of a taxi the night before the sex attacks.
The gun believed to be used in both incidents is yet to be found.
Detective Acting Superintendent Travis Wurst says the arrests are good news for the Red Centre.
“I know this has been a very difficult time for the community because this is something that Alice Springs is not familiar with,” he said.
“It is a horrible, horrible crime, particularly for the victims involved, and I know this has had a massive affect on the community.”
Zero tolerance
Meanwhile, Police Commissioner John McRoberts will visit Alice Springs next week to work with Aboriginal leaders in an effort to combat crime and violence in the town.
The move follows a pledge by Chief Minister Paul Henderson to use all the resources of government to help Mr McRoberts as he takes personal charge of a taskforce targeting alcohol-fuelled violence and anti-social behaviour.
Mr Henderson has asked the Commissioner to take a “zero-tolerance” stand against troublemakers in The Alice.
Opposition MLA Adam Giles says the sexual assaults of the two tourists and a separate attack on a German man is indicative of the crime situation in Alice Springs.
“People are sleeping at night with their handbags under their pillows and their baseball bats under their beds,” he said.
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