crime
Canberra airport shooter in court
Bullet holes at Canberra Airport. photo
© Mick Tsikas/AAP/dpa
The man was sitting in the check-in hall. Suddenly he draws his gun and fires several shots. The motive is still completely unclear.
After the shooting at Canberra airport, the alleged perpetrator is due to appear before a court in the Australian capital today. The 63-year-old from the state of New South Wales is charged with three firearms offenses, as reported by the Australian news agency AAP. The man is said to have fired several shots in the departure hall on Sunday. However, nobody was injured. The shooter was arrested shortly after the incident. His motive was initially unclear.
The man probably acted alone, AAP quoted a police spokesman as saying. The shots he fired in the departure hall were therefore not aimed at people. The motive of the man is still unclear, it said. Nothing was initially known about the alleged perpetrator either.
The incident reportedly happened around 1:30 p.m. on Sunday afternoon (local time). The man initially sat near the window in the check-in hall, TV station ABC quoted an investigator as saying. After five minutes, he drew his gun and fired about five shots. Bullet holes can be seen in the windows of the departure hall.
The airport had to be evacuated for several hours because of the incident, and air traffic was stopped. A number of passengers were initially stuck in planes on the tarmac. ABC reported some also had to wait outside in the cold. It is currently winter in Australia. The police later gave the all-clear, as AAP wrote. Shortly before 5 p.m. (local time), passengers were able to re-enter the building, but aircraft take-offs and landings remained suspended.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also tweeted that he had been informed of the incident and that there was no longer any danger. The man did not go through any security check, it said.