The man charged over a shooting at Canberra Airport has been sentenced to more than three years in prison.
The total sentence of three years and three months will have a non-parole period of two years and two months.
Ali Rachid Ammoun shot glass panels at the airport in August 2022, prompting an evacuation.
He told members of the public he wouldn’t hurt them before he collected the bullet casings and surrendered when police arrived.
He said he did not mean to hurt anyone and apologised for his actions, saying they were about sending a message to the Australian government for spending 14 years in prison in Western Australia for a crime he said he didn’t commit.
He said Canberra was chosen because he believed if the federal government became aware of his case, his conviction would be overturned.
One witness described thinking it was a terrorist attack.
Another also described the trauma of thinking they would be shot in the back as they ran away in fear of their life.
Ammoun, 63, was charged with recklessly discharging a firearm, which carries a maximum prison sentence of 10 years.
He was also charged with unlawfully possessing a firearm, which carries a five-year maximum sentence.
He had pleaded guilty to both charges, which reduced his sentence by 25 per cent.
Magistrate Ian Temby said the sentencing was complicated due to Ammoun’s mental state as well as the seriousness of the charges against the facts of the case.
– AAP
