Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has called for stringent legal action against a man accused of hurling an improvised explosive device into a crowd of demonstrators. Albanese emphasized that the accused should encounter “the full force of the law” for his actions.

The 31-year-old suspect, whose identity remains undisclosed for legal reasons, is facing charges related to the incident at Monday’s Invasion Day rally in Perth.

On Tuesday, police disclosed that the device was engineered to detonate upon impact, although it fortunately failed to explode.

The individual appeared in Perth Magistrates Court on Tuesday, charged with an unlawful act or omission intended to cause harm, as well as the creation or possession of explosives under suspicious conditions.

He refrained from seeking bail, and the case has been postponed until February 17.

The court has imposed a suppression order on the man’s identity due to concerns regarding his safety.

Albanese earlier said the man’s alleged actions were shocking.

“My view … is that they should throw the book at him,” he told reporters in Darwin.

“This was an incident that is quite shocking. He’s been charged with two serious offences and I look forward to him being prosecuted to the full force of the law.”

Invasion Day rally evacuated

Police evacuated Forrest Place in central Perth shortly after noon on Monday after an object was found near the main stage, where about 2,500 people were gathered.

The man removed the device from his bag and threw it into the crowd from a first-floor walkway before fleeing, police alleged.

Forensic teams searched the man’s home on Monday and the device was examined by the bomb response unit.

It was confirmed to be a homemade improvised explosive device containing a mixture of volatile chemicals, with nails and metal ball bearings attached to the exterior, police said.

A combination of chemicals and materials consistent with the manufacture of homemade explosives were found at the home, police said.

WA Police Commissioner Col Blanch said it was fortunate the device did not explode.

“For whatever reason it hasn’t detonated, but it is explosive compounds and it did contain the ball bearings and the screws and/or nails,” he told Perth radio station 6PR on Tuesday.

All major capital cities hosted Invasion Day protests, while opposing right-wing March for Australia rallies took place in capitals and some regional centres on Australia Day.

January 26 is a day of mourning for many Indigenous people, marking the First Fleet’s 1788 arrival and the start of British colonisation.

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