Canberra Airport was evacuated and a gunman was arrested after gunshots were heard near the check-in counters on Sunday afternoon.
The terminal was quickly evacuated as a precaution following the gunshots at around 1:30 p.m. local time. The man fired around five shots toward the glass windows. However, his motive behind the incident remains unclear.
“The Canberra Airport terminal was evacuated as a precaution and the situation at the airport is contained,” a statement read.
Police confirmed that the shots were fired in the terminal’s check-in area and no one was injured. The bullet holes were later seen in the glass windows of the check-in area.
Footage shared on the internet shows a man being arrested by police officers at the airport. Media personnel and witnesses gathered outside the airport following the precautionary evacuation.
The police clarified that the arrested person was the only person responsible for the incident, after reviewing the CCTV footage.
Eyewitnesses Statement
Lily Thomson, who is a reporter said she heard the gunshots and realised something was wrong when people started screaming “run”.
“I saw this grandma with a baby and the fear in her face and I knew it was something serious.”
“So we all ran and I stayed with that grandma and her baby and hid behind an information desk. We stayed there for a couple of minutes until security told us to evacuate out to the car park.”
Witnesses and onlookers explained chaos at the airport’s check-in area after the security guards asked people to leave. One of the passengers said she hid under a desk in one of the airport lounges.
Besides, some of the passengers were stuck on board the aircraft as police officers evacuated the terminal. Afterwards, the gunman was arrested, and those passengers were allowed to disembark the aircraft.
Some flights in and out of Canberra were cancelled or rescheduled after the incident.
Feature Image via Twitter
