Alleged bomb attack at Perth Invasion Day rally sparks terror probe and urgent calls to tackle racism

On 26 January, thousands of people gathered in Boorloo/Perth’s CBD for an Invasion Day rally when police say a homemade explosive device was thrown into the crowd, forcing an urgent evacuation and leaving First Nations communities across the country shaken.

The rally at Forrest Place, attended by an estimated 2,500 people including Elders, families and children, had been peaceful and focused on issues such as homelessness, youth detention and better housing and health care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Witnesses reported a loud bang and smoke after a glass jar landed in the crowd, with police quickly clearing the area.

WA Police allege the device was a “fragment bomb” (a glass container filled with flammable liquid, screws and ball bearings) designed to shatter and send metal fragments through the crowd, but it failed to detonate. Officers later described the incident as a “potential mass casualty event”.

A 31‑year‑old man from Perth’s northern suburbs was arrested soon after and charged with intent to do harm in a way that endangers life, health or safety, and with making or possessing explosives in suspicious circumstances. He has not been charged with terrorism offences at this stage but the WA Joint Counter Terrorism Team (comprising WA Police, the Australian Federal Police and ASIO) is investigating the incident as a potential terrorist act. The man remains before the courts and no plea has been entered.

No physical injuries were reported, but community leaders say the psychological impact has been profound, particularly for children and survivors of past state violence who were present in the square. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner Katie Kiss said the attempted bombing on a day that already represents “deep pain, survival and resistance” for First Nations people was a “potential mass casualty event” and had caused “deep distress and fear”. She called on governments and law enforcement to treat the case with the same urgency as the recent Bondi terrorist attack, warning that when racial hatred goes unaddressed it can escalate into horrific violence.

The Aboriginal Legal Service of Western Australia said it was “outraged” the incident occurred while “women, men and children were gathered peacefully in solidarity” and welcomed the decision to investigate it as a potential terrorist act. Chief executive Wayne Nannup said the device “had the capacity to cause widespread mass injury and death” and that the attack came amid “heightened racism across the country”.

First Nations organisations including Wungening Aboriginal Corporation, Grata Fund, Australian Lawyers for Human Rights and Amnesty International Australia have each described the incident as a targeted attack on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and their allies, and have urged authorities to recognise it as both a hate crime and a potential act of terrorism.

Race Discrimination Commissioner Giridharan Sivaraman and Commissioner Kiss have used the incident to renew calls for the federal government to endorse and implement the Australian Human Rights Commission’s National Anti‑Racism Framework, which was finalised in 2024 but has not yet been adopted.

In an analysis for the ABC, Wemba‑Wemba academic Dr Eddie Synot and psychologist Dr Tracy Westerman said the muted national response to the incident had exacerbated feelings of abandonment among First Nations people and contributed to what Dr Westerman described as “racial trauma” – reinforcing the message that Aboriginal people are unsafe simply for being who they are.

Police say inquiries are continuing and that they have not ruled out further charges as forensic examinations and counter‑terrorism investigations progress.