Sailor Arrested after Bomb Scare at Naval Training Base
A Victoria naval training base was locked down after a bomb scare. A man was arrested in connection with the incident. Police said that the man was arrested after several items had been located at the HMAS Cerberus navy base on the Mornington Peninsula. The items were found in a residential unit. According to a police spokesperson, a 400-metre exclusion zone was set up around the unit as a precautionary measure. She said that arson and explosive squad members were rushing to the scene along with the bomb response unit. Paramedics, on the other hand, were not called yet to the scene. According to an Ambulance Victoria spokesman, the paramedics were put on stand-by.
Yahoo! News reported that the man arrested was a 30-year-old sailor who had "hazardous materials" in his room. Victoria Police Superintendent Neil Paterson said that he would not be able to give details about the materials. However, he said that those did not look like explosives. Paterson said that the materials, though not in a large number, were "hazardous" and were not generally found in such locations.
The items, which were found at the HMAS Cerberus navy base were, were discovered during a search on Thursday. The man arrested in connection with the bomb-scare reportedly resides on the base. The Age reported quoted a defence force member on the scene that it was a routine inspection which unmasked the potential threat. "A routine inspection this morning of on-base accommodation in HMAS Cerberus has resulted in hazardous material being located in a residential unit," he said, ""As a precaution, a 400-metre safety zone has been established around the accommodation block."
Victoria Police have not specified the kind of material found during the usual inspection. A Defence member is reportedly assisting the Victoria Police with the inquiries. Herald Sun reported that HMAS Cerberus had been a Navy training establishment which trained 6000 personnel every year with 800 trainees disciplined on an average at a time. The base, which covers 1517 hectares, is 70 km from Melbourne. HMAS Cerberus has a couple of chapels, a small marina along with its recreation and training facilities.
Contact the writer: s.mukhopadhyay@ibtimes.com.au