‘Homemade’ explosive detonated on Holder Oval, Canberra
A suspected homemade explosive device has been detonated on an oval in Canberra’s west.
Police said members of the public reported hearing an explosion from the direction of Holder Oval at around 5am on Thursday.
A suspicious substance was later discovered on the oval by a member of the public shortly before 10am.
“Police attended the scene and established a cordon after treating the object as a homemade explosive device,” ACT Police said in a statement. he said.
“Experts from the AFP bomb squad attended to inspect the item and confirm it was safe to handle.”
The object, which was reported to be approximately 15cm long, was confirmed to be non-dangerous and was seized by forensic experts for further examination.
Detective Inspector Donna Hoffmeier told the ABC that investigators believed the device was homemade. He did not rule out a link between the incident and other reports of explosive devices found in the nation’s capital in recent weeks.
“There is nothing funny about leaving explosive devices in public places that could harm others,” he said.
“This could be a joke and still hurt someone at this stage. We’re taking this really seriously.”
Police are asking anyone who noticed suspicious activity near Holder Oval around 5am on Thursday or has information about the device to contact Crime Stoppers.
