Security Breakdown At Melbourne Cricket Ground, Two Men Arrested For Smuggling Handguns And Bullets

Safety in Melbourne Cricket Ground will be accelerated after two men have been charged with smuggling with handguns and bullets in a crowd of more than 82,000 fans of Australian rules, police said on Friday. Victoria police said they had arrested the duo, both in their twenties, after refusing to leave the stadium during the Collingwood defeat in Carlton on Thursday evening. A police search would have revealed that the pair each wore a handgun and bullets, with one of the already loaded weapons. The two men were accused of multiple offenses, in particular in possession of an unregistered handgun and ammunition without license.

Police said the incident was not linked to terrorism and that there was no continuous threat to the public.

“The incident last night is extremely disappointing and overwhelming,” said Melbourne Cricket Club, Stuart Fox, who manages the stadium in a statement.

Despite the security of security initially “identifying the elements of concern”, a “breakdown” in other research allowed the pair to enter the occupied stadium, said Fox.

He added that safety at the stage would increase “the extent” of manual research, warning fans to expect delays entering the ground.

The ABC national diffuser reported that a screening system fed by AI had initially pointed out the pair, but human error meant that the alert was not effectively followed, allowing men to enter.

Security would have tried to get men out of the ground due to poor behavior, but had to call the police when the men refused to leave, leading to the discovery of weapons.

“It’s quite shocking,” Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said at a Sydney radio station.

“I hope they (men) get them the book for them. And I want to thank Victoria’s police for their work to ensure the safety of people.”

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