British fugitive arrested fleeing Australia on a jet ski while armed with a crossbow ‘This arrest sends a strong message to would-be fugitives’

A British fugitive has been arrested in Australia accused of trying to flee the country on a jet ski.

‘Anyone who thinks they can either enter or leave Australia through the region without detection should think again’ Border police The i newsletter latest news and analysis Email address is invalid Email address is invalid Thank you for subscribing! Sorry, there was a problem with your subscription.

The wanted man was caught by border police after they were tipped off that a suspect, “possibly armed with a crossbow and carrying additional fuel and supplies”, had been spotted launching off Punsand Bay, on the Cape York peninsula, in the northern-most area of Queensland.

The 57-year-old man, currently unnamed, is wanted for alleged drug offences in Western Australia. He was arrested on mudflats just a few miles off the coast of Papua New Guinea, having travelled almost 90 miles across the Torres Strait.

Arrest sends ‘strong message’

Police said the suspect was taken back to Thursday Island, part of the Torres Strait Islands archipelago governed by a local administration in northern area of Queensland, where he had been held pending extradition to Western Australia.



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Officers from the Australian Border Force (ABF), Australian Federal Police (AFP), and Queensland Police Service (QPS) were involved in the operation.

Jo Crooks, of the ABF, said: “We have the ability to detect a range of border threats, including suspicious movements through the region. Anyone who thinks they can either enter or leave Australia through the region without detection should think again.”

A spokesman for the AFP added: “This arrest sends a strong message to would-be fugitives – our reach across Australia is second to none and we will use all our contacts and relationships to find you and bring you before a court.”

Help from locals

The fugitive was reported to have been tracked by federal and state police on an Australian Border Force vessel. He was found on Saibai Island, which is one of a string of islands in the Torres Strait which belong to Australia.



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Authorities regularly patrol the seas as part of a policy to turn back asylum seekers who attempt to make the journey the Australia.

Locals also helped police track the man’s path through. They are said to have called in with updates as he passed or landed on their islands.

“He gave it a red-hot go,” Jock O’Keeffe, of Queensland police, told the Guardian.

“It’s a bit unusual to try and get from Pundsand Bay all the way to PNG. He stuck out like the proverbial.”

The man was finally arrested just a few kilometres from his destination.