A 15-year-old boy has been charged along with five other teens in Sydney, Australia, for planning a terrorist attack following a church stabbing.

The boy's defense cited behavioral issues and low self-esteem, requesting bail, while the prosecution argued there were no exceptional circumstances to warrant it.

The group was involved in an encrypted chat discussing plans to target Jewish people, and the boy described the individual responsible for the church stabbings as a friend.

Following a counterterrorism operation, six additional teens were arrested, and the church attacker was charged with committing a terrorist act.

Defense claims the boy's social media messages about an attack were 'just a performance' and opposed the prosecution's depiction of him as a 'monster'.

Islamic State group flags were found in the boy's bedroom, and he was charged a day after the other teens were apprehended.

The boy's family offered a $1.5 million surety for bail and proposed house arrest with an ankle monitor, but the magistrate has yet to decide on bail.

The case is scheduled to return to court on Thursday for further legal proceedings.