“The tractor-trailer driver could easily have died as his truck rolled over and he became trapped.”

Cook described his tenure as “the greatest privilege” of his life, saying he was proud to have led what he called an “extraordinary company”

“This is a very distressing incident, and we will continue to support the passenger and family at this time”

The discrepancy had drawn scrutiny from Republicans, including James Comer, who questioned how such a large swing in reported assets occurred.

The driver’s family said he had been left traumatised, with his own children around the same age as Saad.

Vehicle continued along the footpath before being stopped, with an off-duty police officer and a member of the public intervening to detain the driver in a citizen’s arrest.

Police have registered a case and launched an investigation to determine the exact cause of the explosion and whether negligence or safety breaches contributed to the disaster.

The investigation, led by the Box Hill Divisional Response Unit, has already resulted in 18 offenders being jailed, while 10 others remain before the courts.

The operation, led by the Department of Transport and Major Infrastructure alongside WA Police and the Australian Federal Police, targeted more than 100 vehicles over four hours at Perth Airport.

AFP officials say both matters were investigated by National Security Investigations (NSI) teams, established in October 2025 to target individuals and groups engaging in behaviour that threatens Australia’s social cohesion.