The moment a man dropped off a ‘suspicious device’ in front of a court house, before a bomb squad was called in to dispose of it, has been caught on camera.
The man was filmed just before 7am Tuesday dropping off the brown backpack at the front door of Frankston Magistrates Court, in Melbourne’s south-east.
He then fled the area on foot, before a police bomb squad inspected the package hours later and found what appeared to be a red jerry can with a gas bottle attached.
The moment a man dropped off a ‘suspicious device’ in front of Frankston Magistrates Court on Tuesday, before a bomb squad was called in to dispose of it, has been caught on camera
The man was filmed just before 7am Tuesday dropping off the brown backpack at the front door of the court in Melbourne’s south-east
He then fled the area on foot, before a police bomb squad inspected the package hours later and found what appeared to be a red jerry can with a gas bottle attached
In the CCTV footage, the man can be seen hurriedly walking towards the court house front door with the hood from his grey jumper concealing his face.
He then drops the bag in front of the door before swiftly turning around and running away.
Investigators are now looking for a man dressed in black clothing standing across the road, who police say would have spotted the suspect.
A bomb response unit at about 8am attended Fletcher Road, where a police station is also located.
Pictures from the scene show the brown bag that was placed beside the entrance of the court house.
A police bomb disposal robot could be seen inspecting the bag, pulling out the suspicious homemade item.
A bomb response unit at about 8am attended Fletcher Road, where a police station is also located
Pictures from the scene show the brown bag that was placed beside the entrance of the court house
A police bomb disposal robot was used to inspect the bag, pulling out what appeared to be a red jerry can with a gas bottle attached
Police are now investigating who is responsible for the scare, asking anyone who witnessed suspicious activity in the court car park about 7am to come forward. Pictured: A member of the bomb response unit moves in to investigate a suspicious device
A police spokesperson said on Tuesday morning police conducted safety checks on the package
Police crews wearing flak jackets and fire services could also be seen arriving at the scene and cordoning off sections of the road.
A Frankston Magistrates Court spokesperson said the courthouse was evacuated about 9am after reports of the suspicious package.
The court remained closed for about 90 minutes as the bomb response unit investigated, the spokesperson said.
A worker at next-door body repair shop Repco told Daily Mail Australia that police shut down parts of Fletcher Road at the same time.
He said the road reopened shortly before 10am, allowing customers entry into Bayside Shopping Centre, which is across the road from the courthouse.
A police spokesperson said the area was declared safe after a police bomb response unit ‘conducted safety checks’.
Police are now investigating who is responsible for the scare, asking anyone who witnessed suspicious activity in the court car park about 7am to come forward.
Police crews wearing flak jackets and fire services could be seen arriving at the scene at cordoning off sections of the road
Pictures from the scene show an unattended brown bag (pictured) was placed beside the entrance of Frankston Magistrates Court, where officers were attending on Tuesday morning
Police and emergency services investigate a suspicious device found in Frankston, Melbourne
Police are now investigating who is responsible for the scare, asking anyone who witnessed suspicious activity in the court car park about 7am to come forward