Daily London
A crowd of 2500 protesters were evacuated about 12.30pm yesterday after a device was thrown into the crowd on Forrest Place in the CBD.
“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.
A 31-year-old man from Warwick, in Perth’s northern suburbs, was taken into custody on the first-floor walkway, where he allegedly told police the device may contain explosives.
The device did not detonate and no injuries were reported.
Police have today alleged the homemade improvised explosive device contained a mixture of volatile and potentially explosive chemicals, with nails and metal ball bearings affixed to the exterior.
“We will allege that that device was designed to explode upon impact, but for reasons not yet known, it didn’t,” WA Police Commissioner Col Blanch told radio station 6PR this morning.
“This was responded to as a mass casualty event, a potential mass casualty event,” Blanch said last night.
Police raided a home in Warwick yesterday, where they allegedly found chemicals and materials commonly used to make homemade explosives.
The 31-year-old man was today charged with making or possessing explosives under suspicious circumstances and one count of an unlawful act or omission with intent to harm.
He was refused bail to appear before Perth Magistrates Court today.
WA Premier Roger Cook yesterday slammed the 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 suspended rally was eventually able to resume, where protesters marched through the streets calling for justice for First Nations peoples.
But organisers and attendees, like Tanesha Bennell, said they felt “angry and frustrated” that the event was impacted by the threat.
“Not surprised though, this is very standard. I feel sad that once again our Elders are being silenced,” Bennell said.
“They were grabbing Elders, Aunties and Uncles, taking them away from their place to speak,” another attendee claimed.
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