A Victorian man who allegedly threatened to “blow up” Perth Airport’s main international terminal, forcing its evacuation and causing traveller chaos, has appeared in court.
Part of Terminal 1 was closed for several hours on Wednesday afternoon, leading to multiple flight delays after the discovery of a suspicious backpack left unattended outside the terminal.
Crowds gathered outside the terminal’s entrance as the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and WA Police investigated the incident after establishing an “exclusion zone”.
The backpack was examined by the WA Police bomb squad and declared safe.
Passengers were let back into Terminal 1 at around 6.30pm. (ABC News: Samantha Goerling)
The AFP later confirmed a man had been arrested in the Perth CBD a short time later.
Threats a ‘misunderstanding’
Keiron Beau James Hedges, 57, was initially due to face Perth Magistrates Court charged with two offences.
They were:
Entering an airside security zone of a security controlled airport without permission, and;Making a false communication which could be inferred as a threat to an aerodrome.
Appearing in court on Thursday, it was revealed the first charge would be dropped and bail would be opposed.
The magistrate read out the second charge to Mr Hedges, saying it was alleged he threatened to “blow this place up”.
Keiron Beau James Hedges has been charged over an incident at Perth Airport on April 22, 2026. (Supplied)
Mr Hedges told the court from the dock that there was misunderstanding about “what I actually meant when I said that”.
Mr Hedges, who was not represented in court earlier in the day, was told by the magistrate to get legal advice, before coming back to the court later in the afternoon.
Further charges considered
During Mr Hedges’s second appearance, prosecutor Rodney Nguyen opposed bail, saying the AFP was considering further charges.
The prosecutor told the court that soon after 2:20pm Wednesday, Mr Hedges walked into the border security passport processing area and when he was asked for a passport, he didn’t have one.
Passengers wait outside the Perth Airport Terminal 1 while the Australian Federal Police and WA Police investigate a reported unattended bag. (ABC News: Samantha Goerling)
The court was told Mr Hedges was asked to leave and he told a guard to “f**k off” before allegedly saying: “I am going to blow this place up.”
The AFP was soon informed about an unattended backpack found on a bin, Mr Nguyen said.
The court heard an exclusion zone was set up at roughly 3:30pm around the backpack, which was to be examined by the bomb squad.
Delay and disruption
Mr Nguyen told the court 450 incoming passengers on two planes were on the aircraft for three hours, and 1,200 members of the public were “unable to go about their business”.
Traffic was prevented from entering the airport car park, and train services were delayed.
The airport was cleared of any potentially hazardous materials at about 6:30pm.
The prosecutor said Mr Hedges was arrested in the CBD and taken to the AFP’s airport office where he made admissions.
Prosecutor Ronald Nguyen says the Australian Federal Police are considering further charges against Mr Hedges. (ABC News: David Weber)
He allegedly said to police “I yelled out the airport was going to be blown up” and “if they didn’t leave they would be killed”.
A duty lawyer, speaking on Mr Hedges’s behalf, said he was a permanent resident living in Victoria, who had previously lived in WA.
She said he was on a disability support pension.
When Mr Hedges, who tried to interject during much of the proceedings, was informed there may be further charges, he said “that’s not my fault”.
The magistrate deferred hearing his bail application and ordered a mental health assessment before Mr Hedges appears in court again on Tuesday.
Behaviour ‘not tolerated’
In a statement, AFP Detective Acting Superintendent Peter Brindal said threats to aviation security would not be tolerated.
“Travelling through airports should be a safe experience for passengers, staff and airline crew alike,” he said.
“The AFP will continue to work closely with airline partners to deal with any behaviour that interferes with aviation security.”