Weapons stolen, officer assaulted at Darwin base

Navy weapons have been stolen after an intruder stormed a moored Navy patrol boat and assaulted a crew member at HMAS Coonawarra naval base in Darwin.

The naval base has been locked down and all exiting vehicles are being searched following the attack just before 1am (CST) on Friday, Northern Territory police said.

The Department of Defence says an intruder “overwhelmed” a duty member onboard a patrol boat alongside HMAS Coonawarra before fleeing the vessel with a number of weapons.

“The intruder overpowered the duty member, accessed the vessel’s armoury and removed a number of weapons,” the department said in a statement.

Northern Territory Major Crime Commander Richard Bryson said police were investigating the alleged theft and assault on the boat along with the Australian Federal Police and the Australian Defence Force.