Accused Perth Invasion Day bomber flags insanity defence as terror case heads to May hearing

A Perth man accused of attempting to bomb an Invasion Day rally has foreshadowed a mental health defence, with his lawyer telling the court a psychiatric report is being sought ahead of a plea later this year.

Liam Alexander Hall, 32, is accused of throwing a homemade “fragment bomb” filled with ball bearings and screws into a crowd gathered in Forrest Place on 26 January. Police have said about 2,500 people were at the rally when the device was allegedly tossed from a balcony into the crowd. Nobody was injured because the device did not detonate, but the incident triggered widespread outrage, particularly among Indigenous Australians.

Hall has been charged with engaging in a terrorist act, in a case described as the first of its kind in Western Australia. He also faces additional charges related to explosives and endangering the safety of others.

In the Perth Magistrates Court, Hall did not appear in person as the matter was adjourned until late May. His lawyer, Simon Freitag, said an independent assessment was needed before the case could progress. “We have identified a practitioner [psychiatrist] who can do a report on Mr Hall in terms of a section 27 defence” Freitag said.

Section 27 of Western Australia’s Criminal Code sets out an insanity defence, which can remove criminal responsibility if a mental impairment means a person could not understand what they were doing, control their actions, or know they should not commit the act. Courts typically require specialist medical evidence and an independent assessment before such a defence can be tested.

The alleged attack has struck a nerve because Invasion Day rallies are central events for many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and their supporters, marking 26 January as a day of invasion, dispossession and survival rather than celebration. Organisers around the country use the day to call for truth-telling, treaty and a change to the date of Australia Day.

According to court reporting, Hall is undergoing treatment in custody at a secure psychiatric facility. The matter is expected to move through the court system as prosecutors and defence lawyers prepare for the next hearing, where the court will consider whether a plea can be entered and what medical material will be relied on.

For many in the First Nations community, the case remains a stark reminder that public rallies can become targets, and that debates about racism, political violence and community safety are not abstract—they can play out in crowded city streets.