A ‘suspicious’ liquid detected in the bags of a man who was on flight to Australia from Dubai has turned out to be four bottles of water, the Australian Federal Police say. The discovery of the water sparked the partial evacuation of a terminal at Perth Airport on Monday morning, causing major disruptions for passengers. The liquid was detected when the man’s checked luggage was rescreened as he changed from his Emirates Airlines flight in Perth to a domestic aircraft bound for Sydney.

"Something was picked up by jet-bag screening, and as a precautionary measure, there was a partial evacuation of the terminal – basically, the area was cordoned off," an AFP spokesman said. The bag was removed to a secure area for further analysis by security officials.

"AFP attended the scene, supported by Western Australia Police and Fire and Emergency Services. Analysis was conducted on four bottles of a liquid within the bag," police said in a later statement. "Preliminary testing indicated the liquid was not explosive. As a precaution, the baggage was moved to a safe location away from the terminal."

The man, whose identity has not been released by authorities, was met at Sydney Airport by AFP officers and quizzed about the liquid in his baggage.

"The passenger was co-operative and assisted the AFP with their inquiries into the contents of the bag held at Perth Airport, police said. No charges have been laid. "At no time was the public in any danger," police said.

At the height of the drama, five flights were delayed and one was cancelled as passengers in the terminal were herded away from the area. Others on flights that had just arrived were kept aboard aircraft for up to 30 minutes. A disgruntled Melbourne passenger, who did not wish to be named, said he was prevented from leaving the airport for two hours after arriving on one of the first flights into Perth on Monday morning.

"It’s shocking, just shocking," he said. "(They have handled it) badly, shockingly. You couldn’t really understand the announcements, it was all blurred and too loud so nobody really knew what was going on and basically we were all herded out. "No one knew where to go, what to do and no one knew when to go back in."

The AFP said despite reports to the contrary, the airport remained open at all times although it did concede there was "some minor disruption" as people were asked to move to different areas while the suspect bag was removed. The incident showed security agencies were co-operating and that Australian airport security measures were "contributing to the safety of the travelling public", an AFP spokesman said