The shocking criminal history of the man who fired shots at Canberra Airport, causing chaos and prompting an evacuation, can now be revealed after he pleaded guilty to the offence.
Ali Rachid Ammoun, 63, today faced the ACT Magistrates Court where he pleaded guilty to two charges, including firing the shots and the unauthorised possession of a Smith and Wesson revolver.
A third charge was dropped.
Due to Ammoun's guilty pleas, the court lifted the suppressions on his criminal record.
It can now be revealed that Ammoun committed the crime while on parole after serving time in a West Australian prison for attempting to murder his former wife and bashing his mother-in-law.
His former wife had been stabbed 27 times.
The 2007 crime happened at his ex-wife's mother's home, where Ammoun tied up his former mother-in-law and bashed her.
He later rang triple-0 saying he wanted to report a murder, and that he had tried to kill his wife and mother-in-law.
A recording of the call also revealed he told the operator he stabbed the pair.
Ammoun was sentenced to 16 years in jail in 2009, and served just over 14 years when he was granted parole.
It was during his parole in August that he travelled to Canberra and fired several shots at the airport windows, leading to an evacuation.
No one was hurt, although three glass panes were shattered.
Prosecutor Andrew Chatterton told the court there would be more than 20 victim impact statements from people caught up in the incident.
No details have been revealed about why he committed the crime.
Ammoun will be sentenced in February next year.
He remains in custody.
