The Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) has admitted a 'breakdown in the thoroughness' of its security screening after two men allegedly smuggled loaded firearms into a blockbuster AFL match between Collingwood and Carlton on Thursday night.
Victoria Police arrested the men, aged 21 and 27, after they were challenged over their behaviour and allegedly found to be carrying loaded firearms and ammunition. The incident occurred in front of a crowd of 82,058 fans.
Stuart Fox, chief executive of the Melbourne Cricket Club, said the venue's AI-powered security screening had flagged items of concern, but a breakdown in the secondary manual screening process allowed the weapons to enter. 'As a result, we will be increasing the extensiveness of the secondary manual security process,' he said, warning of possible delays for upcoming events.
Victoria's police minister, Anthony Carbines, described the incident as a 'very serious matter', while AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon confirmed additional secondary security measures would be in place this weekend and a full review of security at the ground would be conducted.
Omar Salman, 21, faced Melbourne Magistrates Court on Friday charged with being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm, possessing ammunition without a licence, and committing an indictable offence while on bail. Mohamad Noori, 27, was charged with possessing an unregistered handgun, altering a serial number, and other offences. Both were remanded in custody.
