A 31-year-old Perth man has been charged after police allege he threw a homemade explosive device into a crowd of thousands attending an Invasion Day rally in the city’s CBD.
The incident occurred at about 12.30pm on Monday at Forrest Place, where an estimated 2,500 people had gathered. Police allege the device was thrown from a first-floor walkway outside Myer and landed near the main stage before the suspect fled.
CCTV footage released by police appears to show a man dressed in black launching the object from the balcony area and running from the scene.
Specialist officers later secured the device, which did not detonate and caused no injuries.
“Police will allege a man removed an item from his bag and threw it into the crowd from a first-floor walkway before fleeing the scene,” a WA Police spokesperson said.
The man, a 31-year-old from the northern suburb of Warwick, was taken into custody on the first-floor walkway, where police allege he told officers the device may contain explosives.
He spent the night in custody before being charged with making or possessing explosives under suspicious circumstances and with one count of an unlawful act or omission with intent to harm.
Police allege the improvised explosive device contained volatile and potentially explosive liquid compounds, with nails, screws and metal ball bearings affixed to its exterior.
“We can say at this time with preliminary testing, the liquid was an explosive liquid, in fact there were multiple liquid compounds,” WA Police Commissioner Col Blanch told Nine Entertainment’s 6PR.
“We will allege that, that device was designed to explode upon impact but for reasons not yet known, it didn’t.
“For whatever reason it hasn’t detonated, but it is explosive compounds and it did contain the ball bearings and the screws and or nails.”
“This was responded to as a mass casualty event, a potential mass casualty event,” Blanch said.
Police later raided a Warwick home, where they allegedly found chemicals and materials commonly used to make homemade explosives.
The accused appeared in Perth Magistrates Court, where his lawyer successfully applied for his identity to be suppressed due to concerns for his safety in custody. The court was told it may be perceived that a class of people was the target of the alleged offence.
Still wearing a forensic suit, the man saluted the magistrate as he entered the dock and made a praying gesture as the suppression application was considered.
A bail application was flagged but later withdrawn, and the man was remanded in custody to reappear in court in three weeks.
Whether the incident constitutes an act of terrorism remains under investigation, with multiple agencies assisting WA Police as they examine the man’s electronic devices to establish a motive.
“I think WA is a safe place, but yesterday tells us as a community that safety isn’t assured,” Blanch said.
Premier Roger Cook condemned the alleged bomb scare as “completely unacceptable”.
“This Australia Day should be about unity, not division. That a peaceful protest was targeted in this fashion runs against the very heart of what it means to be Australian,” Cook said.
“We can’t let hate win.”
The rally was temporarily suspended but later resumed, with protesters marching through the streets calling for justice for First Nations peoples.
“This is unacceptable in the community. So on Australia Day or any other day, this behaviour should not be tolerated,” rally organiser Fabian Yarran said.
Others said they felt “angry and frustrated” that the event had been disrupted by the alleged threat.
“Not surprised though, this is very standard. I feel sad that once again our Elders are being silenced,” attendee Tanesha Bennell said.
“They were grabbing Elders, Aunties and Uncles, taking them away from their place to speak,” another attendee claimed.
Blanch said it was a “hard decision” but backed the call to shut down the rally.
Invasion Day protests were held across major capital cities on January 26, while opposing March for Australia rallies took place in capital cities and some regional centres.
For many Indigenous Australians, January 26 is a day of mourning, marking the First Fleet’s arrival in 1788 and the beginning of British colonisation.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Monday called for national unity after attending a national citizenship ceremony in Canberra, where he welcomed new Australians and said respect for “common humanity” was what defined the nation.
The accused man was due to face Perth Magistrates Court on Tuesday.
Images: 9News
