In a heartfelt apology, a man expressed his regret to anyone who felt threatened by his actions. “I’m completely sorry for anyone that thought that I was some kind of threat to them,” he stated.

Attempting to clarify the misunderstanding, he continued, “I literally just walked around with a weight vest to get some training in.” The misunderstanding arose because the vest, wrapped in tape to prevent the weights from falling out, seemed suspicious to onlookers.

After spending a night in custody, he faced the court, describing the incident as an honest mistake. The 34-year-old, speaking to 9News, acknowledged that he now understands the community’s heightened alertness and why he was stopped, although he feels the authorities may have overreacted.

Reflecting on the situation, he noted, “A bomb threat is a bomb threat,” recognizing the seriousness of the situation while suggesting that the response was disproportionate to his intentions.

The 34-year-old told 9News that he now understands why he was stopped and that the community was tense, however, he believes authorities overreacted.

“A bomb threat is a bomb threat,” he said.

“I don’t think they needed to keep me in jail for about 14 hours for a weight vest that they could have just looked at right then and there.

A magistrate is set to decide whether Machaya’s acts were malicious or misguided.