A 52-year-old whose alleged "concerning comments" sparked chaos in and around Auckland's Albert Park on Wednesday has been named as Sean Nicholas, a man already wanted by the police.
Emergency services received a report about the comments at about 1pm, bringing parts of the city to a standstill as armed officers swarmed the area.
Following his arrest, Nicholas was charged with making a false statement.
He appeared in the Auckland District Court via video link on Thursday and was remanded in custody without plea until his next appearance on February 16.
Before the chaos unfolded on Wednesday, police had issued a public plea for sightings of Nicholas - saying the "unpredictable" man had a warrant for his arrest for allegedly breaching his release conditions.
He was taken into custody just after 2pm on Wednesday.
"I would like to acknowledge the public's patience while this incident unfolded, as several evacuations and cordons impacted many people going about their business at the time," said Insp Grant Tetzlaff, of Auckland City.
"Police continued to engage with the man and these measures were put in place so we could ensure the safety of all," Tetzlaff said on Wednesday.
