Invasion Day homemade bomb incident in Perth deemed a ‘potential terrorist act’

The alleged throwing of a homemade bomb into an Invasion Day rally crowd in Perth is being treated as a “potential terrorist act”, authorities have confirmed.

A 31-year-old man was charged on Tuesday with intent to harm likely to endanger and making or possessing explosives under suspicious circumstances.

In a joint statement by WA Police, the Australian Federal Police and domestic security agency ASIO, they said investigations were ongoing.

“Further charges have not been ruled out,” they said.

“There is no ongoing threat to public safety.”

Anyone with information or vision of the alleged incident is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

WA Police allege the man threw a homemade bomb into the crowd of more than 2000 people in Perth’s CBD, but it did not explode.

A woman, who wished to remain anonymous, told ABC Perth she saw a sock displaying the character Elsa, from the Disney film Frozen, land on the leg of a girl standing near her that landed on the ground.

“It was alarming so I immediately looked up to see where it had come from and then I looked at the object,” she said.

“It was an Elsa sock — the Frozen character Elsa — a kid sock, and inside it was stuff, I don’t know what, but I didn’t touch it.

“There was no smouldering, nothing, but it just seemed odd.

“It was strange that someone would throw an object in the middle of the crowd.

“With everything that’s happening at the moment, I just thought … weird.”

The woman was concerned someone might step on the object so she handed it to police.

Officers allege a glass container filled with a liquid, ball bearings and screws was found near the front of the stage.

A man was arrested at the scene and was taken into custody while officers swept the area to make sure it was clear of any other devices.

The man’s home was also raided and searched by police on Monday evening.

The man, who cannot be named because his identity has been suppressed, appeared in Perth Magistrates Court on Tuesday.

His duty lawyer Madison Darch abandoned a bail application but requested the man’s name be suppressed over fears for his safety and for people known to him.

“My concern being in a custodial environment if (the accused) was identified as the person facing allegations his safety in a custodial environment would be at risk,” Ms Darch said.

“I see concerns raised everyday about the prison system and understaffing, there is a real and significant risk if (he) is identified.

“I cannot think of a case where a class of people may have been the target and seemed to be at risk from the alleged offending.”

The request was granted by the magistrate and the matter was adjourned until February 17.

Also on Tuesday, WA Police released CCTV footage of the moment the alleged explosive device was thrown into the crowd.

Footage shows a person wearing a black shirt and facial covering throwing an object from the balcony tier above Forrest Chase towards a group of protesters.

They can then be seen running away from the balcony.

The video appears to show the object bounce off the leg of a woman.

The device, which contained ball bearings, screws and liquid in a glass container, was taken for preliminary testing by police forensics teams.

Speaking to ABC radio, WA Police Commissioner Col Blanch described it as “an improvised explosive device that was viable”.

“It had the potential to explode and injure many people or kill them,” he said.

When asked directly if it was a bomb, Mr Blanch said: “Yes, absolutely. It’s a bomb. A homemade bomb.”

Police believe the man attempted to ignite the device using a wick or similar method, but it failed to detonate.

“We came very close to potentially a mass casualty,” Mr Blanch said.

“I’m not overplaying this. This could have been a mass casualty event.”

Mr Blanch praised the swift response of officers on the ground.

“The Police Forward Commander made a very difficult decision, and he made the absolute right decision to evacuate that area. In the middle of a peaceful protest, we made the decision to save lives if this device had gone off,” he said.

At the time, Mr Blanch said further investigations would determine if it was a terrorist act.

“To be a terrorist act, we have to determine whether there is a political, religious or ideological motivation, and whether the person taking that act is seeking to advance those causes. That is where we are up to in the investigation,” he said.

On Thursday, Multicultural Affairs Minister Anne Aly - who is also a counterterrorism expert - would not be drawn on her personal views on the investigation.

“I think that I can already see people are making their determinations of whether it is or isn’t a terrorist incident,” she told the ABC on Thursday.

“I note that it is being investigated as a potential terrorist incident, and I think it’s best that we leave that up to our security agencies to determine.”

When asked about her initial reaction, Ms Aly said: “Well, first of all, I guess it was relief … that nobody was hurt.”

“When you throw an IED, an improvised explosive device, into a crowd, and if it’s a successful, it could have been a mass casualty attack.

“So the huge relief that nobody was hurt. But also horror at the fact that this could occur in Perth and in Australia generally.”