The Victorian man at the centre of yesterday's Bondi bomb scare has apologised for what he says was a misunderstanding.
Charges against the 34-year-old could be dropped following a major police response that was sparked after he asked for directions to the iconic beach while sporting a weighted military-style vest wrapped in duct tape.
Cleophas Machaya issued an apology to the Bondi community before travelling back to Melbourne.
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"I'm completely sorry for anyone that thought that I was some kind of threat to them," he said.
"I literally just walked around with a weight vest to get some training in."
Machaya said he did not know the vest was going to raise suspicion and that it was wrapped in tape because "the weights were falling out".
His destination on his run was the scene of a vigil to mark the end of a mourning period for victims of the Bondi terror attack.
He spent the night behind bars, pleading in court after what he described as an honest mistake.
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The 34-year-old told 9News that he now understands why he was stopped and that the community was tense, however, he believes authorities overreacted.
"A bomb threat is a bomb threat," he said.
"I don't think they needed to keep me in jail for about 14 hours for a weight vest that they could have just looked at right then and there.
"I was brought up in this country and I am full for Australian values."
A magistrate is set to decide whether Machaya's acts were malicious or misguided.
His lawyer claims charges relating to the bomb scare could be dropped when the case returns to court next month.
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