A 31-year-old man is charged after throwing a homemade explosive device with nails into a Perth Indigenous rights rally crowd of over 2,000.
PERTH: A 31-year-old man has been charged with throwing a homemade explosive device into a large Indigenous rights rally.
Western Australia Police allege the man removed the device from his bag and threw it from a walkway into a crowd of more than 2,000 people in Perth on Monday.
The incident occurred during a rally for Indigenous peoples’ rights on Australia Day, the national holiday marking the 1788 arrival of the British First Fleet.
Alerted by a member of the public, police took the man into custody.
Bomb response officers confirmed the item was an improvised explosive device containing volatile chemicals, with nails and metal ball bearings affixed to the exterior.
“A subsequent search of the man’s home was conducted, where it is further alleged a combination of chemicals and materials consistent with the manufacture of homemade explosives was located,” police said.
The device did not explode and no injuries were reported.
The suspect was charged with an attempt to cause harm and with making or possessing explosives under suspicious circumstances.
