Canberra airport shooting: Ali Rachid Ammoun fronts court after lockdown

The man charged following a shooting which led to Canberra Airport being evacuated and locked down on Sunday, has been identified.

The man charged following a shooting which led to Canberra Airport being evacuated and locked down on Sunday, has been identified.

NSW man Ali Rachid Ammoun, 63, has been charged with firearm offences, following a shooting which led to Canberra Airport being evacuated and locked down on Sunday.

Mr Ammoun was arrested on Sunday afternoon after allegedly sitting in the departures area near the southern check-in desks on the first floor at around 1.20pm for five minutes before pulling out a weapon and firing it into the air.

He appeared in ACT Magistrates Court on Monday morning where police alleged he fired gunshots into the windows of the Canberra Airport and bail was opposed.

He was charged with discharging a firearm at a building, unlawful possession of a firearm and discharging a firearm near a person causing alarm.

Ali Rachid Ammoun, 6. has been charged with firearm offences. Picture: Facebook

Damage caused to windows by three gunshots fired at Canberra airport. Picture: Twitter.

It came as witnesses described a scene of chaos after the man allegedly wielded a pistol and fired at windows, with passengers and bystanders screamed at to “get down”.

Emergency services were called to the airport at about 1.30pm, shortly after the man entered the departures area of the airport.

A man arrested at Canberra airport after reports that shots were fired. Picture: Facebook

Talking to media on Sunday afternoon, Detective Acting Superintended David Craft of ACT Policing said it’s believed the man had sat in the airport’s departures area for five minutes before pulling out the weapon and firing it into the glass windows encompassing the airport.

“He has sat in one of the areas adjacent to the glass windows. After approximately five minutes this male has removed a firearm from his possession and let off approximately five rounds,” said on Sunday afternoon.

He added police believed the man was acting alone and that he had not passed through any flight screening checkpoints, allowing him to hang on to the weapon he allegedly would shoot off minutes later.Act Supt David Craft said there was “nothing to indicate” the man arrested had any connections to the airport, while it didn’t appear anyone was shot at directly.

“To my understanding and what I can see from the crime scene, the male has let the shots off at glass within the terminal and there was no shots directed at people … passengers or staff.”

Police patrol the airport on Sunday afternoon. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gary Ramage

Police confirmed no one was injured in the incident.

A video posted on social media appeared to show police arresting a white-haired man in the airport shortly before 2pm.

An alarm can be heard in the background as two police lift the handcuffed man off the ground, while multiple people film the incident from a distance.

Images uploaded to social media from the scene show what appear to be bullet holes through the glass at the front of the airport.

A statement released by ACT Police after the shooting confirmed a gun had been seized as evidence at the scene, while CCTV had already been scoured over after the incident, which helped police confirm the man allegedly acted alone.

Passengers who saw the incident described a scene where people “ran for their lives” as shots busted out.

One man was inside waiting for his son when he heard the bullets ring out above him.

“I saw the glass falling down and I thought maybe the glass had exploded,” he told NCA NewsWire.

“Everyone ran for their lives.

“I didn’t think it was a bullet at first. Then I heard everyone running and I ran.”

Other witnesses reported being yelled at to “get down, get down”.

At least three bullets are believed to have hit the windows near the Qantas check in counters. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gary Ramage

One woman who asked not to be named told NCA NewsWire she saw the man, who she described as middle-aged and “clean cut”, fire a pistol half a dozen times.

The incident resulted in flights being grounded on the tarmac for more than three hours.

ABC journalist Dan Bourchier, who was on a plane at the airport, said the Australian Federal Police announced they were doing a “security sweep” of the airport shortly after the incident.

“Sitting on the tarmac of Canberra airport – where we are waiting on the plane, the captain just told us the AFP is doing a “security sweep” of the airport after we were told the airport has been evacuated,” he wrote on social media.

Canberra Airport announced it had restarted normal operations at 4.50pm.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who is on a week of leave until Monday, was briefed about the alleged shooting on Sunday.

“Have been briefed by the AFP on the incident at Canberra Airport this afternoon,” he said on Twitter.

“I am advised a man has been detained and there is no ongoing threat present.”

ACT Senator and Finance Minister Katy Gallagher said she was “shocked” to hear news of the incident.

“Our local airport is such an important part of Canberra community and it must have been terrifying for everyone (at Canberra Airport) this afternoon,” she said.

“Thanks so much to first responders for keeping everyone safe.”