Overview
- A 31-year-old is charged with engaging in a terrorist act after an alleged homemade bomb was thrown into Perth’s Invasion Day rally, the first terrorism charge in WA and the first nationally alleged to target First Nations people.
- Police say the device contained screws and ball bearings and was hurled toward a crowd of about 2500 before failing to detonate, prompting a mass evacuation of Forrest Place.
- WA Police defend the nine-day delay to lay the terrorism charge, citing the need to establish ideological motive through suspect interviews, device downloads, and talks with family and friends, while acknowledging communication could have been clearer.
- Indigenous leaders criticise the political response and press for stronger anti-racism measures as elders meet Premier Roger Cook, Commissioner Col Blanch and federal officials, with proposals including healing centres, more Aboriginal liaison officers and a truth‑telling process.
- Commissioner Blanch disputes Senator Lidia Thorpe’s claim of an ASIO briefing warning of a likely January 26 attack and urges her to release any document, as the accused remains in custody with his identity suppressed and a court date set for February 17.