NT supermarket axe-wielder charged

A shoplifter who threatened shoppers with an axe and smashed an ATM in Darwin has been charged.

The man, 26, stole deodorant and soap from a supermarket at the Karama Shopping Centre on Sunday afternoon and when challenged by staff he lifted up his shirt and produced an axe.

"He then walked through the shopping centre, hitting an ATM with the axe and yelling at members of the public," Detective Senior Sergeant Mark Bland said in a statement on Tuesday.

Police arrested the man, seized the axe and a body search uncovered a small quantity of cannabis.

The man has now been charged with aggravated robbery, property damage, being armed with an offensive weapon and possessing cannabis in a public place.

He was remanded in custody to appear at Darwin Magistrates Court on April 20.