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Failed Australia Day bombing accused faces court

A man accused of throwing a homemade bomb into an Invasion Day rally crowd has faced court for the first time since being charged.

Liam Alexander Hall, 32, is accused of engaging in a terrorist act over the incident in Perth on January 26.

Thousands of people were evacuated from Forrest Place in Perth's city centre after police found an object containing volatile chemicals, nails and metal ball bearings.

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Police allege Hall threw the explosive device from a walkway above the crowd of Indigenous people, families and supporters.

The device did not detonate despite a fuse allegedly being lit.

Hall's case has previously been heard in Perth Magistrates Court, but he was too unwell to appear on those occasions.

On Tuesday, he was present in a courtroom at a psychiatric hospital, where the three charges against him were read via a video-link.

READ MORE: Dozens of protesters shut down part of Parliament House

The crowd was evacuated from Forrest Place around 12.30pm yesterday following bomb fears.

Hall, dressed in a white shirt and black pants with unkempt hair, wasn't required to enter a plea and said very little.

He slowly raised his hand to acknowledge his identity and softly said "yes madam" when magistrate Heidi Watson asked if he was Liam Hall.

Hall also said he understood when Ms Watson read the three charges he is facing to him for the first time.

In addition to the terrorism charge – the first in Western Australia's history – Hall is charged with intent to harm after he allegedly "threw an improvised grenade into a protester crowd".

Hall is also accused of making and possessing explosives.

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The protest was able to continue after the threat was neutralised.

Police will allege the incident was a nationalist and racially motivated attack targeting First Nations people at the protest.

Hall was self-radicalised and acted alone, police previously said.

He had allegedly accessed bomb-making instructions and "pro-white male" material online, and was accessing and participating in the ideology.

Hall was remanded in custody, and his case was adjourned to September 16 for committal mention in Stirling Gardens Magistrates Court.

The court previously heard Hall was in a vulnerable mental health condition and was living alone when the alleged Australia Day attack happened.

If he is found guilty of the terrorism offence, he faces life behind bars.

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OLACDE launches new monthly report

QUITO, Ecuador, May 25, CMC – The Latin American and Caribbean Energy Organization (OLACDE) Monday announced the launch of its new monthly Oil and Gas Report, a publication designed to track developments in production and foreign trade across the sector in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). According to the analysis for January 2026, oil […]

Two arrested as part of Dezi Freeman investigation

Two people have been arrested by police and are now being questioned as officers investigate how fugitive Dezi Freeman remained on the run after fatally shooting two police officers at Porepunkah in August last year.

Detectives from Taskforce Summit, a special group set up to track Freeman's movements, today arrested the pair "as part of their ongoing investigation into the movements of Desmond Freeman".

A 48-year-old man and a 35-year-old man, each arrested at different locations in north-east Victoria, are now being interviewed by police.

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"The investigation remains ongoing and as such, we are not in a position to provide further details at this immediate time," police said in a statement.

Freeman was shot and killed at a property in Thologolong in March this year, after seven months on the run.

At the time of his death, police pledged to follow every angle into his time on the run, including whether he received assistance from others.

Coroner's court hears of Freeman's last moments

The two arrests came a day after a coroner's court heard of the final moments before double police killer Dezi Freeman died in a hail of bullets.

Holding a police-issued handgun stolen from an officer he had left for dead months prior, Freeman was struck in a hail of police bullets on March 30 at a remote property in Thologolong, Victoria.

Fresh details of Freeman's death were detailed in a Coroners Court directions hearing yesterday.

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Accused cop killer Dezi Freeman has been found and killed after a long and tireless search.Porepunkah shooting victims Vadim de Waart and Neal Thompson

The court earlier heard the 56-year-old killed Senior Constable Vadim de Waart-Hottart and Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson on his Porepunkah property, 310km northwest of Melbourne, in August 2025.

The officers were executing a warrant after disclosure of an alleged sexual assault involving a child, as well as an attempt to involve a child in the production of child abuse material.

Seven months later, Freeman would point the stolen gun at a team of arresting officers before being shot himself.

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Porepunkah police shooting. Police compound at Feather Top Winery, Porepunkah.  27th August 2025, The Age news Picture by JOE ARMAO

Counsel assisting Lindsay Spence told the court officers tracked Freeman down to a shipping container in Thologolong.

Police surrounded the dwelling on the morning of March 30, attempting to negotiate with Freeman via loudspeaker.

After two hours of negotiations, police deployed gas inside the shipping container.

Freeman emerged with a green bag covering his hands, before dropping the bag and revealing a firearm.

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Porepunkah police shooting. Police compound at Feather Top Winery, Porepunkah.  27th August 2025, The Age news Picture by JOE ARMAO

"The deceased was struck and immediately fell to the ground," Spence told the court.

"The black handgun, which the deceased had pointed and discharged at the (Special Operations Group) members, was later confirmed as the police-issued handgun he had stolen from Senior Constable Vadim de Waart-Hottart."

Freeman had told the fatally wounded officer to die in hell moments before shooting him again, the court was earlier told.

Police had been attempting to arrest Freeman at Porepunkah, where he was living in a converted bus with his family, including wife Mali.

Five officers had knocked at the door, before Freeman had yelled and refused to come out, saying the police "could go to hell," Spence said.

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Neil Thompson's sisters Lois Kirk and Dianne Thompson arriving at court with family.

Freeman was eventually shown a copy of the search warrant, which he described as "bullshit".

The court heard an officer climbed onto the bus roof but was unable to gain access, before Freeman said he was coming out.

After failing to exit, Thompson lifted himself through a window to gain access to the bus, but as his feet touched the ground, he was shot.

He suffered a gunshot wound to the face and neck, and collapsed immediately.

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A second officer, standing near Thompson, yelled "gun" and ran, activating a duress alarm, the court heard.

Freeman then shot de Waart-Hottart as the other officers ran and sought cover behind a shipping container.

"I had no choice," Freeman said.

The court heard Freeman returned to the bus after the shooting and swore over the bodies of both fallen officers.

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Fresh pictures of Dezi Freeman's high country hideout give new insight into the life the double police killer was living on the run.

"F—ing scum, die in hell," he yelled at police before firing de Waart-Hottart's firearm at Thompson again.

Freeman then stepped out of the bus with two guns and fired at a third officer, injuring them.

"He was last sighted running down the hill towards the river," Spence told the court.

Freeman later sent a message to his wife.

"Get a mile away and keep going. See you in heaven, love," he texted.

Speculation has been rife over how Freeman came to be in Thologolong, about 150km from Porepunkah, where he fatally shot the officers.

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Jamaica records downward slide in murders

KINGSTON, Jamaica, May 25, CMC – Jamaica has recorded 213 murders for  the period January to May 23, this year as compared with 275 for the same period last year,  according to figures released Monday by the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), a decline of 22.5 per cent. It said that while St. James,  St. Elizabeth, […]