SYDNEY: Australian police charged a man Tuesday (Jan 27) with throwing an "explosive device" with nails and ball bearings into a crowd of thousands at an Indigenous rights rally.
Police alleged that the 31-year-old man removed the device from his bag and threw it from a walkway into a crowd of more than 2,000 people in Perth, Western Australia, during the protest on Monday.
Thousands rallied for Indigenous peoples' rights on Australia's national holiday, Australia Day, which marks the 1788 arrival of a British fleet in Sydney Harbour.
Alerted by a member of the public, police took the man into custody and bomb response officers inspected the device, the Western Australia Police Force said in a statement.
"It was confirmed to be a homemade improvised explosive device containing a mixture of volatile and potentially explosive chemicals, with nails and metal ball bearings affixed to the exterior," police said.
"A subsequent search of the man's home was conducted, where it is further alleged a combination of chemicals and materials consistent with the manufacture of homemade explosives was located."
The device did not explode and there were no injuries.
The suspect was charged with an attempt to cause harm and with making or possessing explosives under suspicious circumstances. - AFP
