The charge marks the first instance of an individual being prosecuted for this specific offence in Western Australia.

Australian authorities have declared an attempted bombing at an Indigenous rights rally in Perth last month “an act of terror”, charging a 31-year-old man with one of the most serious offences in the Commonwealth Criminal Code.

The Western Australia Joint Counter Terrorism Team (JCTT) said in a press statement on Thursday that the man removed a “home-made improvised explosive device” from his bag and threw it into a crowd at a rally in Perth’s Central Business District on January 26.

The device failed to detonate, and no casualties were reported among the several thousand people who attended the rally, held in support of First Nations people. The event was part of a series of nationwide “Invasion Day” protests organised to advocate for Indigenous rights and to protest against the historical dispossession of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

If found guilty, the man could face life imprisonment under the country’s law.

The police said the man will remain in custody until his next court appearance, set for February 17 at the Perth Magistrates Court.

Western Australia Premier Roger Cook, speaking at a news conference on Thursday, urged people to condemn such incidents.

“This charge … alleges the attack on Aboriginal people and other peaceful protesters was motivated by hateful, racist ideology,” he said. “This is the first time this charge has been laid in Western Australia.”

‘An attack on all Australians’

On Tuesday, Minister for Indigenous Australians Malarndirri McCarthy condemned the incident, characterising the attempted bombing as an assault on Australian social cohesion.

“The Albanese Government condemns this sickening and abhorrent incident,” she said in a Senate statement, Indigenous News Australia reported. “An attack on First Nations Australians is an attack on all Australians. First Nations Australians, like all Australians, must be able to gather peacefully without fearing for our safety. There is no place for hate, intimidation or racism of any form in Australia.”

The JCTT said in its statement that to secure a “terrorism” conviction under the criminal code, authorities must prove three specific legal components.

First, the action must cause or threaten serious consequences, such as harm to human life, damage to property, or a significant risk to public safety. Second, the act must be motivated by the intention to advance a political, religious, or ideological cause. Finally, the action must be intended to coerce a government or intimidate the public, or a specific section of the population.

The targeting of the rally occurred as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people continue to face recorded inequalities in healthcare, education, and imprisonment rates, as well as a history of being targeted by racially motivated crimes in Australia.

In December 2022, Australian authorities were forced to confront what experts described as “deeply entrenched” racism following the alleged murder of 15-year-old Indigenous boy Cassius Turvey.

Cassius, a member of the Noongar Nation in Western Australia, was walking home from school with friends when he was subjected to an unprovoked assault with a metal pole. The incident, termed by police as a “vicious attack“, resulted in injuries that led to his death 10 days later.

Art museum curator and director David A. Ross has left his post at the School of Visual Arts in New York after the latest release of documents about Jeffrey Epstein revealed his friendship with the convicted sex offender.

Ross, who was chair of the MFA art practice program, resigned Tuesday, the school said in a statement, adding that it was “aware of correspondence” between him and Epstein. Ross’ online page at the school was offline Wednesday.

The resignation was first reported by ARTnews.

In emails dating from 2009, Ross banters with, reaches out to meet and consoles Epstein, calling him “incredible” and “I’m still proud to call you a friend.”

In one exchange in 2009, Epstein suggests an exhibition called “Statutory” that would feature “girls and boys ages 14-25 ”where they look nothing like their true ages.” Replied Ross: “You are incredible” and noted that Brooke Shields posed nude at age 10.

Also that year, Ross wrote to console Epstein after the financier had been deposed. “Damn, this was not what you needed or deserved,” Ross wrote. “I know how tough you are, and in fact, it probably bothers me as your friend more than it does you.”

In an email to ARTnews after his resignation, Ross said that he met Epstein in the mid-1990s when he was director of the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York. “It was part of my job to befriend people who had the capacity and interest in supporting the museum,” he said.

The Whitney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Epstein pleaded guilty in 2008 to Florida charges of soliciting prostitution and soliciting prostitution from someone under the age of 18. Ross said he believed Epstein when the financier told him it was “a political frame-up.”

Ross told ARTnews that when Epstein was being investigated again in 2019, he reached out to show his support. “That was a terrible mistake of judgement. When the reality of his crimes became clear, I was mortified and remain ashamed that I fell for his lies.”

Attempts by The Associated Press to reach Ross have been unsuccessful.

In addition to the Whitney, Ross previously held posts at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston, the Berkeley Art Museum and the Long Beach Museum of Art.

The emails are part of more than 3 million pages of documents the U.S. Department of Justice released on Friday that reveal some of Epstein’s famous associates.

The U.S. military has bolstered its presence across the Middle East amid escalating tensions with Iran, as nuclear talks were thrown into uncertainty Wednesday before being moved to Oman.

U.S. and Iranian officials had been expected to meet Friday in Istanbul, with several Middle Eastern countries participating as observers.

A senior U.S. official confirmed to Fox News Digital that the talks, focused on restarting negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program, will now take place in Oman.

“The agreement to move forward with this happened only after several Arab country leaders lobbied the Trump administration today – making the case the U.S. should not walk away,” the source said.

US MILITARY WARNS IRAN IT WILL NOT TOLERATE ANY ‘UNSAFE’ ACTIONS AHEAD OF LIVE-FIRE DRILLS IN STRAIT OF HORMUZ

Satellite imagery from Plant Labs shows U.S. aircraft, naval vessels and logistical platforms positioned throughout the region at the end of January.

“The military buildup is consistent with a force preparing for a variety of potential strike options,” Philip Sheers, a research associate with the Defense Program at the Center for a New American Security, told Fox News Digital.

Sheers cautioned that visible movements alone do not indicate a strike is imminent, saying “positioning of platforms is not the only precondition to preparedness for a strike.”

“Additional maintenance equipment, munitions and intelligence, among other elements, may still be needed before a desired strike can be executed,” he said, adding that “operational details will be classified and are difficult to discern based on aircraft and ship movements alone.”

U.S. naval assets in the region include the aircraft carrier strike group centered on the USS Abraham Lincoln, operating in the Arabian Sea, as well as destroyers deployed throughout the eastern Mediterranean and Red Sea region.

USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN AIRCRAFT CARRIER STRIKE GROUP MAKES MOVE AMID THREAT FROM IRAN

The images of Duqm Airport in Oman appear to show a U.S. V-22 Osprey aircraft, which Sheers, who viewed the images, said could support “search-and-rescue missions to recover personnel after a mission.”

Images from Muwaffaq Salti Airbase in Azraq, Jordan, appear to show C-130 aircraft, which Sheers said could be used for “search and rescue at sea or for other logistics operations.”

“It’s clear that there are multirole combat aircraft stationed here, which would support ground strikes and defensive counterair operations,” Sheers added while stating that helicopters were also visible, though their type, he said, could not be determined from the available imagery.

Sheers also cited the presence of Iran’s Shahid Bagheri drone carrier, saying its potential role could be to “harass, fatigue or distract U.S. surface ships in the area” and force U.S. forces to expend time and munitions defending themselves.

IRAN RESPONDS TO TRUMP PRESSURE WITH WARNING OF RETALIATION: ‘FINGERS ON THE TRIGGER’

Wednesday also saw Secretary of State Marco Rubio say the U.S. would only engage in meaningful talks if they addressed Iran’s ballistic missile program, support for militant groups across the Middle East and its treatment of its own people, in addition to its nuclear activities.

“If the Iranians want to meet, we’re ready. They’ve expressed an interest in meeting and talking. If they changed their mind, we’re fine with that, too. We prefer to meet and talk,” Rubio told reporters at the inaugural Critical Minerals Ministerial meeting at the State Department.

As previously reported by Fox News Digital, U.S. Central Command warned Iran against what it called “escalatory behavior” in international waters, vowing the United States would protect its personnel and assets.

On Tuesday, U.S. forces shot down an Iranian drone that approached the Abraham Lincoln in international waters, according to U.S. Central Command, underscoring rising tensions.

“What is clear is the United States is moving a variety of intelligence, logistics, search and rescue, strike and air defense platforms into the region,” Sheers added.

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“Those are clear signals to Iran of increasing U.S. strike capability, but the potential timing and targets of a possible strike are not clear and may not become clear,” he said.

Fox News’ Gillian Turner contributed to this report.