>
Alleged gunman accused of Canberra Airport attack makes bizarre request about the ABC as he faces court for the first time dressed in a Hawaiian shirt
- Ali Rachid Ammoun, 63, has been charged over shooting at Canberra Airport
- He request ABC be excluded from his first court appearance on Monday
- His request was denied and Ammoun has been remanded in custody
<!–
<!–
<!–<!–
<!–
<!–
<!–
A man accused of firing five shots inside Canberra Airport has failed in his bizarre request to have any staff from the ABC excluded from his first court appearance.
Ali Rachid Ammoun, 63, from NSW, donned a Hawaiian shirt when he faced ACT Magistrates Court on Monday.
He had been charged with discharging a firearm at a building, unlawful possession of a firearm and discharging a firearm near a person causing alarm.
Ammoun’s lawyer told the court about his request to have any ABC representatives excluded from the courtroom.
Ali Rachid Ammoun, 63, has been charged after five shots were fired at Canberra Airport on Sunday
But Magistrate Robert Cook said as the matter was being heard in an open court room, the ABC had ‘every right’ to be inside and his request was denied.
Ammoun didn’t apply for bail and has been remanded in custody having already spent a night behind bars.
He did not enter pleas to any of the charges and Magistrate Cook ordered he undergo a psychiatric assessment.
Police allege Ammoun arrived at the airport at around 1.20pm on Sunday, and that he sat on seats near the check-in desks before firing five bullets at glass panes.
No one was injured during the incident but the airport was evacuated and remained closed for about three hours.
Footage posted to Facebook shows a man being apprehended by police inside the airport following the alleged shooting
Ammoun had not gone through any security checks and police allege he was acting alone.
Speaking at a press conference on Sunday, Detective Acting Superintendent Dave Craft said police had ‘no idea’ of the man’s motivation behind the alleged attack.
He said Ammoun hadn’t targeted any passengers or staff members and had not passed through any flight-screening procedures.
‘I just need to reassure people that the airport is safe, that ACT Policing have responded, and there is no ongoing threat to the community or to passengers arriving and departing,’ he said.
Detective Craft said the man spent about five minutes sitting in the departures area on level two before allegedly firing five rounds into airport windows.
The shooting sparked travel chaos with some passengers left stranded on their plane while the alleged shooter was being arrested.
The 63-year-old will face court again on September 5.
Images posted to social media show bullet holes in the concourse windows (pictured) with reports suggesting the alleged shooter fired at the glass several times