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A Victorian man has faced court over an alleged bomb threat at Perth Airport.
The man, identified by the ABC as 57-year-old Keiron Beau James Hedges, was arrested in Perth on Wednesday following the alleged incident at the main international terminal, and appeared before Perth Magistrates Court on Thursday.
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Prosecutors alleged that Hedges, at around 2:20pm on Wednesday, told personnel at Perth Airport he would “blow this place up” after being asked to leave the passport processing area when he entered without a passport.
The terminal was evacuated, and an exclusion zone was set up at around 3:30pm after an unattended backpack allegedly linked to Hedges was found on a bin, causing significant delays.
The court heard that 450 incoming passengers sat on two aircraft for three hours while the backpack was investigated, with 1,200 members of the public left “unable to go about their business” until 6:30pm, when the backpack was declared safe.
“AFP officers at Perth Airport responded to an incident after receiving a report of a man entering the international terminal and allegedly making threats towards the safety of the airport,” the Australian Federal Police said in a statement.
“Police allegedly linked the man, 57, to an unattended backpack located outside the terminal and an exclusion zone was established with the assistance of the WA Police Force. A short time later, WA Police located and arrested the man in the Perth CBD.
“The backpack was examined by the WA Police Bomb Response Unit and declared safe before the airport resumed normal operations.”
Hedges has been charged with one count of threatening to destroy, damage, or endanger the safety of a Commonwealth aerodrome, with a maximum penalty of 10 years’ imprisonment.
AFP Detective Acting Superintendent Peter Brindal said the AFP and its partners have zero tolerance for threats to aviation security.
“Travelling through airports should be a safe experience for passengers, staff and airline crew alike,” he said.
“We want to thank members of the public for reporting suspicious activity at airports – if you do see anything that doesn’t look right, please report it to 131 237.
“The AFP will continue to work closely with airline partners to deal with any behaviour that interferes with aviation security.”
Hedges is slated to appear before court again on Tuesday.
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