Police bullet accidentally fired during airport arrest
A 41-year-old Victorian man was being arrested in a tussle with Australian Federal Police officers at Sydney Airport about 6am on Wednesday when the shot was fired from an officer's short-barrelled rifle.
The firearm was very low to the ground and was lodged in the oven of the cafe, AFP acting commander Scott Raven said.
"It occurred in very close proximity or adjacent to a cafe wall," he told reporters on Wednesday.
He said there were no injuries, no ongoing threat to the public and the airport did not go into lockdown.
Mr Raven declined to detail how the gunfire occurred, citing an internal investigation.
He declined to say whether officers were meant to have a safety feature activated.
"Whilst I will not go into our practices and procedures of how we actually go about and carry all our ... firearms, including the short barrel mentioned today, what I can say is all our AFP officers are professional, highly trained and skilled officers," the acting commander said.
When adding the rifles to the airport officers' armoury in 2019, then-police chief Reece Kershaw argued the firearms were "vital ... to respond immediately with the appropriate resources to any situation in the airport environment".
Wednesday's incident followed an airline request for assistance over the man's suspicious behaviour at the check-in counters in the T2 domestic terminal.
When officers tried to speak to the man, he allegedly became aggressive.
"The alleged actions of this man and aggressiveness towards police created a volatile situation," Mr Raven said.
"Passengers expect to feel safe while travelling, and should not have to witness intoxication, violence or bad behaviour."
A serving police officer, along with retired NSW Police officers were present and acted "on instinct" to help defuse the dangerous situation quickly, Mr Raven said.
The 41-year-old was arrested and taken to Mascot police station.
He was also on the radar of police on Tuesday afternoon for his disruptive demeanour.
The man faces two charges under federal law: obstructing or resisting a federal official and creating a disturbance at an airport.
He was bailed to appear in a Sydney court on September 1.
"Let me be clear, any passenger who breaks the law by being violent or disruptive will be dealt with swiftly," Mr Raven said.
Police taped off an area near gate 53 in the terminal's western wing as part of the investigation.
The terminal is mostly used for Virgin, Jetstar and Rex flights.
Sydney Airport said it was operating as normal.
It is Australia's busiest airport, handling more than 40 million passengers a year, according to data from the federal transport department.
An errant bullet has been "unintentionally" fired into a cafe oven as police arrested a man acting suspiciously at one of the nation's busiest airports.
A 41-year-old Victorian man was being arrested in a tussle with Australian Federal Police officers at Sydney Airport about 6am on Wednesday when the shot was fired from an officer's short-barrelled rifle.
The firearm was very low to the ground and was lodged in the oven of the cafe, AFP acting commander Scott Raven said.
"It occurred in very close proximity or adjacent to a cafe wall," he told reporters on Wednesday.
He said there were no injuries, no ongoing threat to the public and the airport did not go into lockdown.
Mr Raven declined to detail how the gunfire occurred, citing an internal investigation.
He declined to say whether officers were meant to have a safety feature activated.
"Whilst I will not go into our practices and procedures of how we actually go about and carry all our ... firearms, including the short barrel mentioned today, what I can say is all our AFP officers are professional, highly trained and skilled officers," the acting commander said.
When adding the rifles to the airport officers' armoury in 2019, then-police chief Reece Kershaw argued the firearms were "vital ... to respond immediately with the appropriate resources to any situation in the airport environment".
Wednesday's incident followed an airline request for assistance over the man's suspicious behaviour at the check-in counters in the T2 domestic terminal.
When officers tried to speak to the man, he allegedly became aggressive.
"The alleged actions of this man and aggressiveness towards police created a volatile situation," Mr Raven said.
"Passengers expect to feel safe while travelling, and should not have to witness intoxication, violence or bad behaviour."
A serving police officer, along with retired NSW Police officers were present and acted "on instinct" to help defuse the dangerous situation quickly, Mr Raven said.
The 41-year-old was arrested and taken to Mascot police station.
He was also on the radar of police on Tuesday afternoon for his disruptive demeanour.
The man faces two charges under federal law: obstructing or resisting a federal official and creating a disturbance at an airport.
He was bailed to appear in a Sydney court on September 1.
"Let me be clear, any passenger who breaks the law by being violent or disruptive will be dealt with swiftly," Mr Raven said.
Police taped off an area near gate 53 in the terminal's western wing as part of the investigation.
The terminal is mostly used for Virgin, Jetstar and Rex flights.
Sydney Airport said it was operating as normal.
It is Australia's busiest airport, handling more than 40 million passengers a year, according to data from the federal transport department.
An errant bullet has been "unintentionally" fired into a cafe oven as police arrested a man acting suspiciously at one of the nation's busiest airports.
A 41-year-old Victorian man was being arrested in a tussle with Australian Federal Police officers at Sydney Airport about 6am on Wednesday when the shot was fired from an officer's short-barrelled rifle.
The firearm was very low to the ground and was lodged in the oven of the cafe, AFP acting commander Scott Raven said.
"It occurred in very close proximity or adjacent to a cafe wall," he told reporters on Wednesday.
He said there were no injuries, no ongoing threat to the public and the airport did not go into lockdown.
Mr Raven declined to detail how the gunfire occurred, citing an internal investigation.
He declined to say whether officers were meant to have a safety feature activated.
"Whilst I will not go into our practices and procedures of how we actually go about and carry all our ... firearms, including the short barrel mentioned today, what I can say is all our AFP officers are professional, highly trained and skilled officers," the acting commander said.
When adding the rifles to the airport officers' armoury in 2019, then-police chief Reece Kershaw argued the firearms were "vital ... to respond immediately with the appropriate resources to any situation in the airport environment".
Wednesday's incident followed an airline request for assistance over the man's suspicious behaviour at the check-in counters in the T2 domestic terminal.
When officers tried to speak to the man, he allegedly became aggressive.
"The alleged actions of this man and aggressiveness towards police created a volatile situation," Mr Raven said.
"Passengers expect to feel safe while travelling, and should not have to witness intoxication, violence or bad behaviour."
A serving police officer, along with retired NSW Police officers were present and acted "on instinct" to help defuse the dangerous situation quickly, Mr Raven said.
The 41-year-old was arrested and taken to Mascot police station.
He was also on the radar of police on Tuesday afternoon for his disruptive demeanour.
The man faces two charges under federal law: obstructing or resisting a federal official and creating a disturbance at an airport.
He was bailed to appear in a Sydney court on September 1.
"Let me be clear, any passenger who breaks the law by being violent or disruptive will be dealt with swiftly," Mr Raven said.
Police taped off an area near gate 53 in the terminal's western wing as part of the investigation.
The terminal is mostly used for Virgin, Jetstar and Rex flights.
Sydney Airport said it was operating as normal.
It is Australia's busiest airport, handling more than 40 million passengers a year, according to data from the federal transport department.
An errant bullet has been "unintentionally" fired into a cafe oven as police arrested a man acting suspiciously at one of the nation's busiest airports.
A 41-year-old Victorian man was being arrested in a tussle with Australian Federal Police officers at Sydney Airport about 6am on Wednesday when the shot was fired from an officer's short-barrelled rifle.
The firearm was very low to the ground and was lodged in the oven of the cafe, AFP acting commander Scott Raven said.
"It occurred in very close proximity or adjacent to a cafe wall," he told reporters on Wednesday.
He said there were no injuries, no ongoing threat to the public and the airport did not go into lockdown.
Mr Raven declined to detail how the gunfire occurred, citing an internal investigation.
He declined to say whether officers were meant to have a safety feature activated.
"Whilst I will not go into our practices and procedures of how we actually go about and carry all our ... firearms, including the short barrel mentioned today, what I can say is all our AFP officers are professional, highly trained and skilled officers," the acting commander said.
When adding the rifles to the airport officers' armoury in 2019, then-police chief Reece Kershaw argued the firearms were "vital ... to respond immediately with the appropriate resources to any situation in the airport environment".
Wednesday's incident followed an airline request for assistance over the man's suspicious behaviour at the check-in counters in the T2 domestic terminal.
When officers tried to speak to the man, he allegedly became aggressive.
"The alleged actions of this man and aggressiveness towards police created a volatile situation," Mr Raven said.
"Passengers expect to feel safe while travelling, and should not have to witness intoxication, violence or bad behaviour."
A serving police officer, along with retired NSW Police officers were present and acted "on instinct" to help defuse the dangerous situation quickly, Mr Raven said.
The 41-year-old was arrested and taken to Mascot police station.
He was also on the radar of police on Tuesday afternoon for his disruptive demeanour.
The man faces two charges under federal law: obstructing or resisting a federal official and creating a disturbance at an airport.
He was bailed to appear in a Sydney court on September 1.
"Let me be clear, any passenger who breaks the law by being violent or disruptive will be dealt with swiftly," Mr Raven said.
Police taped off an area near gate 53 in the terminal's western wing as part of the investigation.
The terminal is mostly used for Virgin, Jetstar and Rex flights.
Sydney Airport said it was operating as normal.
It is Australia's busiest airport, handling more than 40 million passengers a year, according to data from the federal transport department.
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