‘Dangerous’ pipe bombs found detonated on Canberra footpaths, police say | Australian Capital Territory (ACT)

The discovery of nearly a dozen pipe bombs, some already detonated, on footpaths and parks in the nation’s capital has sparked a major police investigation and warnings not to handle potentially explosive materials.

ACT police Acting Superintendent Anna Wronski could not say where the pipe bombs came from or who was behind them but said the matter was being taken extremely seriously.

“We don’t want the public to pick them up. We don’t want the public to bring them to police stations. We want them to call triple zero immediately,” Wronski told reporters on Thursday.

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As of Thursday morning, 11 pipe bombs had been found along a 1-kilometre trail near Lake Ginninderra in Canberra’s northwest.

The first one was discovered by a citizen.

Some were found intact in the last two days, while others appear to have disappeared before being found.

“Several devices have been identified intact and some have been partially destroyed,” Wronski said.

Police do not believe anyone was injured when the explosives went off.

Wronski said it’s unclear how long the pipe bombs were sitting there before they were discovered, and it’s still unknown whether more bombs might be found.

“Any type of explosive is dangerous. That’s why we take this matter so seriously. The presence of explosives in a public place causes a lot of concern for the police,” he said.

Photographs of the bombs dispersed by ACT police show a piece of silver pipe with a cap screwed onto the top and bottom.

In one of the images, what could be a fuse is sticking out of one of the covers.

Wronski said the incident was not considered terrorism.