Man charged with act of terrorism after Perth Invasion Day attack

Federal and State authorities have declared the attack on an Invasion Day rally in Perth on January 26 a terrorist act.

WA’s Joint Counter Terrorism Team said investigations have shown the incident was ideologically driven.

A man allegedly threw a liquid-filled glass container, wrapped in ball bearings and screws, designed to detonate on impact, into a crowd of 2500 demonstrators.

WA Police footage of the incident in Perth on January 26.

Thankfully, the device failed to detonate.

The man, 31, has been charged with engaging in a terrorist act, which is believed to be a first in Western Australia.

WA Police Commissioner Col Blanch explained at a press conference on Thursday why it had taken 10 days to reach its conclusion.

WA Police Commissioner Col Blanch said a process had to be followed.

“All of us in this room, all of us in our community, would have seen a bomb being thrown into a crowd on Australia Day at an invasion Day Rally is an act of terror,” he said.

“But to charge someone with a terrorism offence, we need to prove the motivation and the ideology of that person.

“As a police organisation…we have rules we must follow and processes we must follow.

No pre-attack intelligence

“Speaking to the Noongar elders, they want justice served here so my job is to make sure we do that.”

Commissioner Blanch said police had no intelligence in the lead-up to the attack.

“To be someone filled with hate and racism is unacceptable. If you know about it, say something,” he said, urging member son the community to come forward if they suspected something,” he said.

“There are programs across this country that can help those individuals not get to where they got to on January 26. We should never see this in our country.”

Australian Federal Police Commissioner Krissy Barrett said the attack was racially motivated.

Australian Federal Police Commissioner Krissy Barrett said they will allege the attack was a nationalist and racially motivated.

“We will allege he was targeting members of the Aboriginal community, First Nations people, in that protest,” she said.

Premier Roger Cook said his government would do everything they could to prevent further attacks.

“We can’t guarantee that these acts of violence won’t take place elsewhere. We can do everything we can to address this particular act and continue to recommit ourselves to making sure Western Australia stays safe and peaceful,” he said.

WA Police footage of the unnamed man arrested and in the back of a police vehicle.

In custody

“Any attack on our First Nations people is an attack on all of us. This is not what it means to be Australians.

“But we must allow police to complete their investigation so that justice process can take place.”

The new charge adds to previous charges of intent to harm and making or possessing explosives under suspicious circumstances.

The man’s name has been suppressed and he will remain in custody to appear before the court on February 17.