Police say a single shot fired inside Sydney Airport’s busy domestic terminal on Aug. 13 was accidental.
Around 6 a.m. on Aug. 13, Australian Federal Police (AFP) responded to a call from airline staff about a man allegedly acting suspiciously in domestic terminal T2.
Two NSW police officers—one current and one retired—who were nearby also assisted.
When officers approached, the man allegedly became verbally and physically aggressive and was arrested. During the arrest, an AFP firearm discharged, hitting a cafe wall and oven. No one was injured.
An internal investigation is underway, and a crime scene has been established.
The 41-year-old Victorian man has been charged with resisting a Commonwealth official, which carries a maximum penalty of two years in prison, and creating a disturbance at an airport, which carries a fine of up to $3,300.
He was taken to Mascot Police Station, granted conditional bail, and is scheduled to appear in court on Sept. 1.
The AFP alleges the man was “known to police” after a previous encounter at the airport terminal on Aug. 12.
AFP Acting Commander Scott Raven said the alleged behaviour had threatened the safety of the public, staff, and police.
“The AFP does not tolerate antisocial or aggressive behaviour at airports, and our aviation officers acted swiftly after receiving a request for assistance from an airline,” he said.
“Any individual who allegedly breaks the law will be dealt with swiftly and will be brought before the courts.”
AFP officers began using short-barrelled rifles in major Australian airports in 2019 as part of strengthened counterterrorism measures.
“All our AFP officers are professional, highly trained and skilled, and as part of their duties at all our airports, we have a counterterrorism first response, and that includes carrying short-barrelled firearms,” Raven said.
Sydney Airport handled 6.09 million passengers through T2 and T3 in the April-June quarter—about 67,000 people a day.
