Australia: 63-year-old man faces court after shots fired at Canberra Airport

A NSW man has faced the ACT Magistrates Court on firearms charges after shots were fired inside Canberra Airport on Sunday afternoon. Ali Rachid Ammoun, 63, has been charged with shooting at a building, possessing a firearm without a licence or permit, and discharging a loaded weapon in a way that caused another person to fear for their safety. He did not enter a plea and did not apply for bail. ACT Policing were called to the airport on Sunday afternoon following reports of gunshots in the main terminal building. They said one person was taken into custody and a firearm was recovered. No injuries were reported. Ammoun appeared before Magistrate Robert Cook via videolink on Monday morning, wearing a short-sleeved white shirt with a tropical print. The magistrate ordered that Ammoun have a psychiatric assessment at the ACT’s jail, the Alexander Maconochie Centre. He will next appear in court on September 5. Police will allege that the man arrived at Canberra Airport at approximately 1.20pm before sitting on seats near the southern check-in desks on the first floor. They will allege that at about 1.25pm he drew a firearm and fired a number of shots into windows of the building. The airport was evacuated and aircraft with passengers remained on the airfield. The airport returned to normal operations at about 5pm, with flights resuming shortly afterwards.<br/>