Police charge Kiwi man after Brisbane siege

The drama shut down parts of the city for hours. Photo / Courier-Mail

Police late yesterday charged the New Zealander who stabbed himself with a bayonet and dived into the Brisbane River after a 16-hour siege on Monday.

Nicholas Williams remained in Royal Brisbane Hospital after surgery on two wounds to his stomach, and police held a bedside hearing to lay seven charges against the 54-year-old yachtsman.

The charges include serious assault of police, unlawful stalking, making a bomb hoax, endangering safe use of transport infrastructure, attempting to destroy property by explosives, endangering property by fire and attempted arson of a vessel.

He will appear in court next month.

But Williams' background is a mystery. Police said it was understood he had been living in Queensland for some time, but it was not known when he had arrived.

They did not know where Williams had lived in New Zealand.

Reports said he was a cousin of All Black Sonny Bill Williams, but TV3's news last night said Williams had denied this.

Williams was also described as a Vietnam veteran. But his name does not match any of the 26 Williams included in the Government's list of veterans from the conflict.

New Zealand withdrew from Vietnam in 1972, at which time Williams would have been aged 16.

A man describing himself as a friend of Williams told Brisbane's Courier-Mail that the New Zealander had been living on his boat near the City Botanic Gardens since his wife and daughter left him two years ago. He said they were still living in Queensland.

The Courier-Mail said that Williams had vowed to hold out for two weeks if police did not resolve his family problems.

The drama began about 5am on Monday when Williams moored his boat, the Jag, at Eagle Street Pier on the Brisbane River and called police, threatening to harm himself.

He had a 30cm bayonet and a 5-litre can of petrol and spoke to police during the day, at times playing a guitar and at one stage pouring petrol on to a ferry moored next to him.

Police established a 100m exclusion zone, shutting two ferry terminals, and closing down riverside restaurants and part of Brisbane's financial district.

The siege ended when police stormed the boat about 9pm.

Williams set fire to the yacht, stabbed himself and jumped into the river after being hit by non-lethal rounds fired by the police.

He was dragged from the water and taken to hospital.