SYDNEY: Australian authorities said on Thursday they were treating as a terrorism incident an attempt to bomb a rally protesting against the country’s national day on January 26, the first such charge in the state of Western Australia.
They arrested a 31-year-old man on accusations of hurling a homemade bomb into a crowd of several thousand people in the city of Perth. No one was injured because the bomb did not explode.
Police and state leader Roger Cook said the man held white supremacist views and the attack was an attempt to target Aboriginal people, one of Australia’s two main Indigenous groups.
“This charge ... alleges the attack on Aboriginal people and other peaceful protesters was motivated by hateful, racist ideology,” Cook told a news conference. If proved, it carries a maximum sentence of life in prison.
Australia Day, which commemorates Britain’s colonization of the country in 1788, is a public holiday marked by picnics, barbecues and ceremonies for new citizens but it has also attracted criticism from some including in the Indigenous community, with “Invasion Day” protest rallies nationwide.
Polling shows a majority of Australians oppose moving the date of the holiday.
Australia says attempted bombing of national day protest was act of terror
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Australia says attempted bombing of national day protest was act of terror
- Authorities arrest 31-year-old man on accusations of hurling a homemade bomb into a crowd in Perth
About 140 US military personnel wounded in Iran war: Pentagon
- “The vast majority of these injuries have been minor,” Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said
- Seven US military personnel were also killed in Iranian attacks early in the conflict
WASHINGTON: About 140 US military personnel have been wounded in attacks since the start of the war against Iran, the Pentagon said on Tuesday.
“The vast majority of these injuries have been minor, and 108 service members have already returned to duty,” Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement.
“Eight service members remain listed as severely injured and are receiving the highest level of medical care,” he added.
Seven US military personnel were also killed in Iranian attacks early in the conflict — six in Kuwait and one in Saudi Arabia — the US military has previously said.
US and Israeli forces launched a massive air campaign against Iran on February 28, and Tehran responded with waves of missiles and drones targeting countries in the region that host US forces or bases.
Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth said earlier Tuesday that US strikes against Iran were intensifying, while the volume of drones and missiles launched by Iran has dramatically decreased.
