Australia: Two charged for carrying guns into Melbourne sport event

Sydney, April 4 (IANS) Two men have been arrested and charged in Australia for allegedly carrying firearms into a Melbourne sporting event attended by over 80,000 people.

Police in the state of Victoria said on Friday that officers were called by stadium security to assist with two men who were refusing to leave an Australian Football League (AFL) match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Thursday night.

Officers arrested the two men, aged 27 and 21, and allegedly found two firearms, one of which was loaded, during a subsequent routine search, reports Xinhua news agency.

According to the AFL, the regular season match between Melbourne-based rivals Collingwood and Carlton was attended by 82,058 fans.

A police statement said that no one was injured during the incident and that there was no further risk to public safety.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described the incident as "shocking".

"This is pretty shocking reporting, frankly, that two men tried to do this," he told Australian Broadcasting Corporation radio.

"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."

The 27-year-old man was charged with six offences, including possessing a loaded firearm, carrying ammunition without a license and possessing an unregistered handgun. The 21-year-old was charged with three offences.

The men, both from Melbourne's northwest, were on bail while awaiting trial for previous criminal charges.

Victoria Police said that the incident was not being treated as an act of terrorism.

The MCG, the largest stadium in the southern hemisphere with a capacity of over 100,000, in March 2024 announced that all spectators attending events would be required to walk through AI-powered full body scanners and weapon detectors as part of a major security upgrade.

--IANS

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