New vision shows accused Invasion Day rally bomb maker throwing device into Perth crowd
Police have released shocking CCTV footage of the moment a homemade explosive device was thrown into a crowd of Occupy Day protesters in the Perth CBD.
Footage of the incident shows a man wearing a black shirt and covering his face throwing an object at a group of protesters from the balcony level above Forrest Chase at around 12.15pm on January 26.
WATCH THE IMAGE IN THE VIDEO PLAYER ABOVE
The person recorded on CCTV is seen running away from the balcony after throwing the device.
Footage taken from Forrest Chase’s forecourt shows the object ricocheting off a woman’s leg.
It did not explode on impact and was safely secured by WA Police.
Police allege a 31-year-old man from Perth’s north pulled the device from his bag and threw it towards the crowd, narrowly avoiding the “mass death” incident.
WA Police commissioner Col Blanch previously said it was alleged to be a homemade improvised explosive device with nails and metal ball bearings affixed to its exterior, containing a mixture of volatile and potentially explosive chemicals.
Bomb response officers were able to examine the explosive, which allegedly consisted of three liquids in a glass container.
The uniformed police officers working at the protest were taken into verbal examination on the grounds that they were trying to keep people away from the area after the alleged bomb threat was detected.
In the body camera footage reflected on the media, the crowd was heard chanting “no racist police” slogans as police officers dispersed the crowd.
“I can’t make it any clearer, ladies and gentlemen, please come back,” a police officer told the crowd.
The man at the center of the alleged threat was charged by police and was captured on the body camera of an officer arrested at the scene.
He was charged by officers in the state security investigation group with making or possessing explosives under suspicious circumstances and endangering the life, health and safety of others.
He is due to appear in the Perth Magistrates Court on Tuesday.
Mr Blanch said officers were liaising with the Australian Security Intelligence Agency and Australian Federal Police as they worked to establish what allegedly motivated the attack on Invasion Day protesters at Forrest Place.
“For an act of terrorism to occur it requires one of three things, either political motivation, religious motivation, or some form of ideology and the furtherance of that cause,” Mr. Blanch said. he said.
“We cannot make that decision until we understand the motivation by downloading the devices, interviewing the man, or finding other material.”
