A British man has been arrested after allegedly trying to flee Australia on a jet ski, armed with a crossbow.
Locals who saw him carrying supplies and fuel for the journey alerted Cape York police, who pursued him in what The Sun calls a “high speed chase” as he travelled almost 90 miles from the coast.
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He was reportedly aiming to jet ski to Saibai Island, an Australian island two-and-a-half miles south of the Papua New Guinea mainland.
“He gave it a red-hot go,” said Jock O’Keeffe of Queensland Police, who confirmed that the man was in possession of a crossbow throughout his journey but did not have a weapon with him upon his arrest, The Guardian reports.
Jo Crooks, of the Australian Border Force (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 Australian Federal Police added that the 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”.
The man has been taken to Thursday Island, off the Queensland coast, where he is awaiting extradition to Western Australia.