By Erin Pearson, Jon Pierik and Melissa Cunningham
Body searches will be ramped up for football fans at the MCG after security staff failed to stop two men from allegedly carrying loaded guns into Thursday night’s Carlton-Collingwood blockbuster.
Melbourne Cricket Club chief executive Stuart Fox said AI-powered technology had detected items of concern, but staff had failed to follow up with a thorough search.
“Last night’s incident is extremely disappointing and upsetting and highlights why we continue to explore and invest in new technologies to assist us in keeping the community safe,” Fox said on Friday morning.
“Our security screening units identified items of concern and further investigation was required, our initial internal investigation identified a breakdown in the thoroughness of the secondary and manual screening process.
“As a result, we will be increasing the extensiveness of the secondary manual security process and patrons may experience slight delays as they attend upcoming events.
“We will continue to work closely with Victoria Police, the AFL and our security provider in executing the MCG’s security procedures.”
Two men, who were both already on bail, were arrested and charged after the guns were allegedly found hidden down their pants in a major breach of the stadium’s security as 82,000 fans watched Carlton’s round-four loss.
Police were alerted to the men after one began causing issues in the crowd in the second half of the game. During a search, they were allegedly found to be carrying two concealed weapons each.
One of the two men, 27-year-old Mohamad Noori, had several warrants out for his arrest and was on bail when the major security breach occurred.
The Melbourne Magistrates’ Court was told on Friday that the Broadmeadows man had 11 outstanding matters with the courts and had failed to show up for hearings.
“He’s got a number of briefs outstanding,” Magistrate Timothy Bourke said.
“I see he has rarely even appeared for many of those matters. He’s had four warrants issued on some occasions … that’s why he is here today with 11 outstanding matters.”
Noori is charged with possessing an unregistered handgun, possessing ammunition without licence, altering the serial number of a firearm and possessing a prohibited item.
Court documents show he has also been charged with failing to appear on bail after being granted bail in February, and possessing a loaded firearm in a public place with “reckless disregard for the safety of any person”.
The men were arrested during Thursday night’s clash between the Pies and the Blues.Credit: Getty Images
He did not apply for bail and was remanded in custody until May 5.
His co-accused, 21-year-old Roxborough Park man Omar Salma, had also been out on bail for other alleged offences.
He appeared briefly in court on Friday morning, charged with a spate of crimes, including possessing a prohibited firearm, possessing ammunition without licence, and committing an indictable offence while on bail.
The court heard that Salma was already due to appear in court for other matters at the end of this month. He was also remanded in custody until later this month.
Fans at the MCG have been required to walk through AI-powered body scanners and weapon detectors since a major security upgrade before the 2024 season.
At the time, Fox said the system, designed by technology company Evolv, would scan up to 3600 people per hour using cameras, sensors and AI, and would alert security staff when it detected prohibited items.
If an item is flagged, security staff are supposed to perform a secondary search of the patron’s bag or use a hand wand.
AFL boss Andrew Dillon on Friday said both men would be issued lifetime ban notices.
“Overnight the MCG worked to identify how the two men were able to enter the venue, which concluded that security personnel failed to do a thorough follow-up search of the patrons after an alert from the entry point screening system,” Dillon said.
“There will be additional secondary security measures in place this weekend, and the MCC in conjunction with Victoria Police and the AFL will conduct an end-to-end review of security measures at the ground,” he said.
“We will work closely with authorities to ensure the matches and venues continue to be a safe and welcoming place for all.”
Victorian Sport Minister Steve Dimopoulos called a meeting with police and the MCC to discuss the breach and what further security measures need to be taken, while Police Minister Anthony Carbines said there “needed to be consequences” for the breakdown in the security screening process.
“I’d expect that all measures should be taken to ensure that those who enter the MCG aren’t able to bring in prohibited weapons,” he said.
Carbines encouraged people to attend Friday night’s match in Geelong, saying they should feel confident their “best interests and safety was paramount”.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also weighed in, telling Sydney radio the incident was “pretty shocking”.
Credit: Matt Golding
“It is good that they have been charged. Frankly, I hope that they get the book thrown at them for this. And I do want to thank Victoria Police for their work in keeping people safe,” he said.
Acting assistant police commissioner Therese Fitzgerald said the security breach was concerning and there would be a full review.
“We work closely with the MCC on these matters and we consistently provide security advice,” she said.
“We will be reviewing this matter closely to ensure that the community can continue to be safe when they attend events at the MCG.”
Police were called by security staff during the match to assist with two men who were refusing to leave the venue due to their behaviour.
The arrests were witnessed by dozens of onlookers. No one was injured during the incident.
With Daniella White and Alexander Darling
Get alerts on significant breaking news as happens. Sign up for our Breaking News Alert.
correction
An earlier version of this report said a 37-year-old Broadmeadows man had been taken into custody. Police have since issued an update saying the man is 27 years old.