The man who fired shots inside Canberra Airport, grounding planes and causing panic, has been sentenced to just over three years in jail.
Ali Rachid Ammoun, 63, used a handgun to fire five shots at the large windows in the departures area in August last year, sending travellers and staff running for cover.
It was the first time shots had been fired inside an airport in Australia and prompted an evacuation.
Ammoun pleaded guilty to the shooting, which damaged three windows, and illegally possessing the Smith and Wesson revolver.
Documents tendered to the court had previously revealed that on the day of the shooting, Ammoun had caught a taxi from Sydney directly to Canberra Airport, three hours' drive away.
Magistrate Ian Temby told the court Ammoun had only been in the airport for about four minutes before he fired the gun.
He said Ammoun had spoken to a couple sitting nearby.
"I won't harm you, do not be upset," Ammoun said.
One of them replied: "Let's go, let's go. This man is shooting, it's a real gun."
Ammoun then lowered the gun, collected the casings, and sat waiting to be arrested.
The incident led to an evacuation as travellers and staff fled at the sound of the shots, some headed outside and others hid behind counters.
Magistrate Temby described the incident as "an anti-social act of a high order."
Victims previously told the court how they feared they would be shot as they ran away, amid what Magistrate Temby described as "general chaos".
Prosecutor Andrew Chatterton said nobody at the airport knew what was happening.
"The shooting caused panic with many people believing it may be a terrorist attack," he said.
Ammoun was on parole at the time of the shooting
Ammoun told the court he had shot at the windows to send a message to the government about what he said was an unfair conviction for trying to kill his former wife.
"He said he did not go to the airport to shoot a gun for fun," Magistrate Temby noted.
"He said people who wronged him in Western Australia and the AFP were responsible for [what happened at the airport]."
At the time of the shooting, Ammoun was on parole for attempting to murder his ex-wife and bashing his mother-in-law.
His former wife had been stabbed 27 times for which he served 14 years in jail.
The court heard he had complained to lawyers, politicians and journalists about his claim he was wrongly convicted, even writing to the Queen.
Magistrate Temby noted Ammoun's lawyers told the court he did not intend to hurt anyone at the airport, but accepts now people were upset.
He had told the court he was confident there would be no ricochet from the bullets and had only fired at the windows.
But Magistrate Temby said Ammoun's firing of the weapon was reckless and he had failed to recognise the obvious danger.
"Firing a firearm inside the airport was an inherently dangerous act," Magistrate Temby said.
The court heard Ammoun was in financial difficulty and had been unable to find work and was extremely frustrated about his situation.
Magistrate Temby noted his actions had to be seen in the light of his psychological assessment which included a narcissistic tendency and a lack of insight into his delusions.
"There's a question about the sincerely of the regret he expressed," Magistrate Temby said.
"It exposed many people ... to feelings of fear and alarm."
Magistrate Temby said Ammoun's comments afterwards indicated he was an ongoing risk to the community, and may not be open to seeking the necessary treatment.
At the time, Ammoun had said he needed to do something big to draw attention to his grievances: "so the world would see I need justice".
"I'm a justice fighter now," Ammoun had said.
Ammoun was given a discount on his sentence for an early plea but has been jailed for a total of three years and three months, with a non-parole period of two years and two months.
