Australian authorities have classified an attempted bombing at an Australia Day protest as an act of terrorism, marking the first terrorism charge of its kind in Western Australia.

Axar.az, citing Reuters, reports that police arrested a 31-year-old man accused of throwing a homemade explosive into a large crowd attending an “Invasion Day” protest in Perth on January 26. The device failed to detonate and no injuries were reported.

State officials said the suspect held white supremacist views and that the alleged attack was racially motivated, targeting Aboriginal people and peaceful protesters. Western Australia Premier Roger Cook said the charge alleges the act was driven by hateful, racist ideology and noted that, if convicted, the suspect could face life imprisonment.

Australia Day commemorates the arrival of British settlers in 1788 and is widely celebrated, but it also sparks nationwide protests by Indigenous groups and supporters who view the date as marking the beginning of dispossession and refer to it as “Invasion Day.”