Man charged with ‘terrorism’ for bomb at Indigenous protest in Australia

The charge marks the first instance of an individual being prosecuted for this specific offence in Australia" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="706" data-entity-type="location">Western Australia.Published On 5 Feb 2026Australian authorities have declared an attempted bombing at an Indigenous rights rally in Perth last month “an act of terror”, charging a 31-year-old man with one of the most serious offences in the Commonwealth Criminal Code.The Australia" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="706" data-entity-type="location">Western Australia Joint Counter Terrorism Team (JCTT) said in a press statement on Thursday that the man removed a “home-made improvised explosive device” from his bag and threw it into a crowd at a rally in Perth’s Central Business District on January 26.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Praise for people who died while trying to stop Bondi Beach attackerslist 2 of 3Australian Parliament backs tighter gun, hate crime laws after Bondi attacklist 3 of 3Police probe explosive device thrown at Indigenous protest in Australiaend of listThe device failed to detonate, and no casualties were reported among the several thousand people who attended the rally, held in support of First Nations people. The event was part of a series of nationwide “Invasion Day” protests organised to advocate for Indigenous rights and to protest against the historical dispossession of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.If found guilty, the man could face life imprisonment under the country’s law.The police said the man will remain in custody until his next court appearance, set for February 17 at the Perth Magistrates Court.Australia" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="706" data-entity-type="location">Western Australia Premier Roger Cook, speaking at a news conference on Thursday, urged people to condemn such incidents.“This charge … alleges the attack on Aboriginal people and other peaceful protesters was motivated by hateful, racist ideology,” he said. “This is the first time this charge has been laid in Australia" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="706" data-entity-type="location">Western Australia.”‘An attack on all Australians’On Tuesday, Minister for Indigenous Australians Malarndirri McCarthy condemned the incident, characterising the attempted bombing as an assault on Australian social cohesion.