Magistrate says Crown Casino accused is a drunk who “carries on like a pork chop’’, court hears

Police have told a magistrate Nadim Ismail, the man at the centre of yesterday’s Crown Casino evacuation, told security guards he was a ‘Pakistani terrorist’.

7 News reporter Sharnelle Vella who was in court, told Tom Elliott Ismail arrived on a student visa from Malaysia on February 5.

“He’s actually been sleeping rough ever since he arrived at Southern Cross Station,” Sharnelle said.

“Police allege that he was inside Crown Casino at a bar, he’d had about four or five drinks.

“A security guard noticed something in his bag which they thought could be explosives.”

Magistrate Simon Zebrowski said he believed Mr Ismail was not a threat to the public but was a man who ‘‘carries on like a pork chop’’ when he drank alcohol.

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Sharnelle said the 55-year-old told security guards he was a ‘Pakistani terrorist’, which prompted the enormous police presence.

As first reported on 3AW, hundreds of staff and patrons were evacuated from the western end of the precinct as dozens of police — including the Special Operations Group — swarmed the area about 4pm yesterday.

Ismail will be transferred to detention centre as his visa has now been cancelled.

EARLIER

Police confirmed they were responding to an incident at Crown Casino after 3AW caller Julie told Tom Elliott she was at the movies when staff told her to evacuate.

“We were at Crown in the movies and the lights came on,” Julie told Tom Elliott.

“There would have to be at least 60 police running in and cop cars everywhere.”

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